Blood and Magic
by Princess Thil Galel
Summary: Celty was once human, until she awoke as a robot monkey with few memories of her past. While captured by the Skeleton King, she met the monkey he created to be a killer. Fang has a wild bloodlust, high aggresion and a willingness to kill. But there is a secret buried deeper with both of them. Fang isn't what appears, and neither is Celty. Can she tame him, and save herself as well?
1. The first meeting

Blood and Magic

By Princess Thil Galel

I DO NOT OWN

R&R

Please Enjoy

The first meeting

It was dark, and cold. Everything seemed so lifeless in the castle of the Skeleton King. It was certainly the last place Celty wanted to be. She'd been a normal human until just a few days ago, then somehow she came to this strange world and mysteriously become a cybernetic monkey. She'd woken up in the giant robot that belonged to a group of monkeys just like her, but they hadn't ever been human.

They graciously took her in, giving her protection and shelter. But even they couldn't have stopped the formless creatures from kidnapping her. The monsters had thrown her into a cell, and left her with only a torch on the wall opposite to her prison for light.

She hated the dark. She hated how every little noise terrified her. She hated her wild imagination for creating horrible monsters out of the vague shapes that lay in shadow. But most of all, she hated being afraid. She felt weak and useless when she was afraid.

Yet she couldn't just lay there on the hard stone floor, waiting for those things to come back. Who knows what they had planned for her. She held the bars of her cage, gazing up at the lock. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at her tail as the hidden spike slid out of the end like a stinger. "Maybe," she wondered aloud, "If I can use my tail spike, I could pick the lock."

Taking a firm grip, Celty climbed up next to the lock and inserted her tail spike. She'd never picked a lock, but it was worth a try. Turning and twisting her tail, the monkey listened for the tell-tale click of metal that would signal her success. She worked at the lock for several minutes, and thought about giving up, when the door suddenly swung open.

With a joyous gasp, she leaped down and ran. She didn't know where she was going, but if she could find a window or door to the outside she might be able to escape. Staying as silent as possible, Celty crept down the dark hallway. Her eyes darted about, searching for any way out, or any enemies that could be lurking. The echo of a set of footsteps made her freeze in terror. She glanced around frantically, searching for a hiding place.

A door to her left offered the perfect one. She didn't think twice, and dove into the room beyond, closing the door seconds before a pair of formless came around the corner. A breath of relief escaped her as she pressed her back against the door. That had been too close for comfort.

She glanced around the room, wondering where she was. All manner of machines lined the walls of the large, high ceiling room, their lights blinking in the dimness. 'A lab?' she thought. 'I guess this could be where Skeleton King makes his monsters.' Hoping to find a possible window, Celty headed for the back of the lab.

She wrapped her unusually long tail around her, holding the end in her hands nervously as she passed by the machines. A glow from up ahead made her heart leap for joy. Could that be a way out? She bolted for it, thanking God that she could finally be free. But what she saw made her gasp in fright.

It was a giant glass tank filled with a glowing blue fluid, and floating in that liquid, was a monkey. It was black, blacker than Antauri had once been, with dark red on it's chest as well as the blaze on it's helmet. The two crests atop it's head were black-the back larger than the one in front. It's arms were nearly twice as big around as her's, and the fingers were like large claws. If that wasn't intimidating enough, a pair of sharp fangs stuck out of it's mouth.

Yet despite how frightening the red and black monkey appeared to be, Celty felt drawn in by the creature's dark beauty. As she edged closer for a better look, she spotted something near the base of the tank. A dust-covered plate. She carefully brushed her fingers over it, and discovered a letter underneath.

Curious, she wiped the plate clean, letter by letter. "F...4...N...G." she read aloud. But as she dusted off the last letter, her fingers pressed a button hidden by the dust. The tank made a loud '_BEEP_!' and the glass shattered. Celty's mouth was flooded by the blue liquid before she could even gasp. She was swept backwards off her feet, and coughed up the fluid as she lay on the floor amongst the broken glass. "Ow," she breathed, rubbing the back of her head. "What happened?"

She slowly began to sit up, only to be slammed back down by a hand around her throat. The hand was tight, but not crushing her windpipe. Celty looked up at her captor, and her eyes went wide. It was the other monkey, and it's eyes were blazing red. "Beautiful," she whispered, never even thinking about what she was saying.

It's eyes widened briefly, but then became serious once more. "Who are you?" demanded the black and red simian, clearly a male by the sound of his voice. "What are you doing here?"

Celty remained perfectly still, trying to seem as unthreatening as possible. "I'm Celty, I'm trying to get out of this place." she said, "Who are you? A member of the Hyper Force?"

He snarled, and pressed down harder on her throat. "You're a Hyper Force member?" he growled. When she was unable to answer, he slammed her head on the floor. "Speak, or you'll never make another sound!"

Celty patted the back of his hand, trying to tell him she couldn't breathe. He seemed to get the message, and loosened his grip. She sucked in a breath. "Not exactly, I'm just staying with them. But I'm no warrior." she coughed, "I'm just trying to get out-I didn't mean to break the glass."

The strange monkey stared down at her, growling softly, the tip of his tail moving in a slow circled behind him. A sign that he was thinking perhaps? His gaze left her eyes to trail down her body. Celty could feel the scorching heat of his eyes roaming over her torso, arms, and legs. He wrapped his tail around her's, and brought it up to inspect it. His brow furrowed as he looked down at her again, still holding her tail and pinning her to the floor by her throat.

"You have a weapon in your tail," he stated, "I left it free, and yet you didn't attempt to free yourself by attacking. Why not?" He sounded not only angry, but confused. He'd left himself wide open-given her the perfect opportunity to stab him in the back. Yet even when he'd started squeezing the life out of her, she hadn't fought back. The black and red simian took in her white fur, the splash of candy pink on her chest, her matching pink eyes and blaze of her helmet, which was trimmed with gold.

He could see that he was slightly taller than her, and clearly much stronger. Under his hand, he felt her trembling, and he could feel her pulse against his palm. Her life was, quite literally, in his grasp. A twitch of his fingers, and she was dead.

Celty looked at her trapped tail, feeling her stomach quiver at the mere thought of plunging the spike into his spine. "I didn't want to hurt you." she admitted.

He pulled back slightly like she'd pinched him, his face a puzzled mask. But he blinked it away and leaned closer, drawing his upper lip back slightly to reveal his large incisors. "Why not?" he asked with a growl, "I'm your enemy-you should try to kill me every chance you get." She blinked up at him with those big pink eyes, concern written in their candy-colored depths.

"But we're not enemies," she argued, "I don't even know your name-how could I want to hurt, much less kill, someone I don't even know?"

The male simian snarled, slamming her head against the stone floor once more. "I have no name!" he snapped, "And you should hate me, because I was created by Skeleton King to kill-to destroy your precious Hyper Force!"

"Do you want to kill them?" she choked out, finding it more and more difficult to breathe past his hand. The growl abruptly ceased, the snarl vanished. She gazed up at him hopefully. "It doesn't matter how you came into being, or what someone else says you're destined to do or be. Only you can actually choose the path you follow. If you're going to kill me, do it because _you_ want to-not because Skeleton King says you have to."

She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see her end coming. A still, silent moment passed as Celty waited for the final clench of his fist that would crush her neck. But when a full minute went by and nothing happened, Celty cautiously peeked one eye open.

He wasn't moving, almost like he was frozen. The hand around her neck lost it's grip until it was simply resting on her throat. Slowly, the black and red simian removed his hand and released her tail. "I..." he began, carefully choosing his words. "I don't want to kill you."

Celty remained where she was, sprawled out on the wet, glass covered floor. "Then what do you want to do?" she asked.

His face looked both confused, and frustrated. "I don't know." he murmured, and glanced over his shoulder at the shattered tank. "But I know I don't want to go back in there again."

The white and pink monkey looked at him, wincing as a piece of glass dug into her side. "If you don't want to stay, why not come with me?" she suggested, when he looked at her she added "You don't have to stay here and live under Skeleton King's boot. The Hyper Force will help you-just like they did me."

He didn't look convinced, so Celty lightly touched her fingertips to his shoulder. "I'll help you." The statement seemed to have struck something inside the other monkey. He glanced at the tank, and then at her, running everything through his mind as he thought hard.

Suddenly, the black and red simian wrapped his hand around her throat once more and brought their faces so close together their muzzles were almost touching. "I'll trust you," he said, then growled low in his throat. "But if you ever give me reason to doubt your honesty, I'll snap your neck."

Instead of the scared expression he expected to see, she smiled. "Then I have nothing to worry about." she said. He frowned as he removed his clawed hand and stood. The female simian also rose to her feet, being careful of the broken glass around them, and winced at the sharp sting on her right side. "If you don't have a name, then what do I call you?" she asked.

He snorted. "Call me what you wish," he said as he looked away. "It matters not to me. I am who I am no matter what my designation is."

Celty couldn't help a shy smile, and felt a blush color her white cheeks. "'A rose by any other name smells just as sweet.'" she quoted. Her eyes fell on the plate under the tank, the fluid had rinsed it clean, exposing the writing underneath the layers of dust. F4NG. Celty tilted her head. Now that she thought about it, it _did_ look like a whole word. "How about 'Fang'?" she inquired.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Why 'Fang'?"

She pointed to the plate behind him. "That plate was on the tank, and the 4 sorta looks like an 'A' with a missing leg." she explained, "And besides," she tapped her lip and nodded toward him, "You do have those."

The male simian reflexively touched his protruding incisors and ran his tongue over them. "Fang," he murmured, testing the way it rolled on his tongue. Then he nodded slowly, seeming to be satisfied. "It'll do."

Celty offered out her hand to him, "Then it's nice to meet you, Fang." She greeted. Fang stared down at the hand, his expression blank. 'Maybe he doesn't understand.' she thought, and slowly took his hand in her's. "You shake it." she explained, "It's a way to greet people, or seal a deal."

He eyed her suspiciously, "And what deal are we sealing?"

Celty smiled and gave his hand a brief squeeze. "That we're friends now." she said brightly, "Isn't it great?"

Fang didn't answer, instead he took his hand back and looked away. "If we're going to find your friends, then we should get out of here, before someone finds us." he stated, then brushed past her. "Follow me." Celty paused briefly, a little wounded by his cold treatment, but quickly caught up to him in the hall.

He walked with confidence, head held high, strides long and powerful, shoulders swaying. This was a guy who was dangerous, and knew it. Celty's eyes were drawn to his back, muscles rippling under that glossy black fur with every movement he made. His tail flicked from time to time, but otherwise remained curled in an 'S' shape behind him.

A noise from the shadows made Celty jump and walk a little closer to him. "So I'm guessing you know a way out of here?" she inquired.

Fang shrugged a shoulder. "Not quite," he said, "But I know the castle's layout well enough to find one. Just stay close, if you get lost you're on your own."

The white monkey gulped. 'He's rather hard,' she thought, 'And a bit unfriendly. I hope he'll be a little more at ease once we're out. Otherwise he's going to be difficult to live with.'

As they passed through a four-way in the halls the sound of footsteps echoed off to their left. Fang growled as he snatched Celty back behind the edge of the wall. He pushed her stomach flat against the wall, his chest pressed firmly to her back, his cheek on the back of her head. The softest of growls slipped between his sharp teeth beside her antennae and vibrated through their close bodies, causing her to shiver while his claws flexed on her shoulders.

The small group of formless past by, Fang's dark coat hiding them from sight. The black and red simian waited until the sounds of their footsteps faded before sniffing the air, he paused briefly and stepped away from the female. She remained frozen against the wall, her eyes tightly shut. Setting his jaw, Fang tapped her shoulder. "They're gone," he said, "Let's keep moving."

Celty cautiously opened her eyes and quickly follwed close behind him. "Thank you," she said softly, "For hiding me like you did back there." He only grunted in response.

Fang lead them to the first window Celty had seen. He pushed it open and jumped onto the sill. "We'll have to to climb down from here." he stated.

Celty looked over the window sill and bit her knuckle nervously. "You go on ahead." she said backing away, "I'll find another way out."

Fang's eyes narrowed. "Why?" he demanded.

"I...I can't climb down a sheer rock wall." she admitted, holding up her hands. "I don't have claws like you...and I'm not a good climber." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I'll only slow you down, anyway." she added, "Just get yourself out, I'll be okay."

When the white female turned to leave, a loud growl escaped Fang as he yanked her up by the tail. She gasped in fright, as well as surprise. He grabbed her arms and locked them around his waist. "Don't let go," he ordered. "And don't look down."

Before she could protest, Fang swung out of the window, his toes dangling briefly in open air before finding their grip on the nearly smooth surface. He heard Celty gasp softly by his ear, her arms like a vice around his torso, squeezing him so tight he couldn't take a deep breath. Celty pressed her face into his back, her nose buried in ebony velvet.

His fur was a bit longer than her's or the other monkeys on the team, and it was softer, silkier too. She found herself deeply inhaling, drawing in his scent. It reminded her of freshly ground coffee, a deep, rich aroma. But as pleasant as his fur was, there wasn't any warmth to his body. He felt chilly, cold even. The white female wanted to rub some heat into him, but was unable to with her arms being one of the only things stopping her from falling. Instead, she settled for breathing warm air into the fur between his shoulder blades. She felt his muscles ripple beneath her, and he paused ever so briefly, before moving on.

One of the stones Fang used as a foothold suddenly broke, Celty's heart leaped into her throat as they dropped. Fang sank his claws into the wall, burying them deeply with a snarl. Celty shook violently against his back, her fingers tangled in his fur.

Fang hissed softly through his clenched teeth in discomfort. "Loosen your grip." he snapped, "I can't climb with you constricting my movements." Her tight death hold relaxed slightly, allowing him to breathe once more, but her fingers remained tangled deeply in his fur. Fang slowly began their downward climb again, taking a little more caution in where he placed his hands and feet.

He could still feel Celty's warm breath against the nape of his neck, coming in rapid gasps in his fur. With her chest pressed firmly to his back, Fang could feel her fluttering heartbeat within her trembling body. Her arms quaked around him, and the scent of her fear was heavy in his nose. The short drop had terrified her, and she was seeking not only protection, but a sense of comfort.

Their feet finally touched ground. Celty collapsed as she released him, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. "I don't ever want to do that again." she panted. "It feels like my muscles all turned to jelly." Fang snorted, clearly unshaken by their fall. He brushed past her, not even sparing her a passing glance. Knowing he might just leave her behind, Celty got up on unsteady legs and followed.

He kept them in the shadows and under cover whenever possible, his scarlet eyes darting all around, seeking out scouting formless guards. They continued across the rocky wasteland for what seemed like hours, avoiding the flat ground which offered no cover and held the occasional formless on a skeletal bike. As time passed, Celty slowly began falling behind. Her aching sides heaved for air, forcing large gulps of it into her burning lungs. The soles of her feet were scratched and blistered, her legs throbbed, and her knees refused to hold her any longer.

The white simian collapsed, the sharp stones digging into her skin. Fang stopped, and looked back over his shoulder. She slowly forced herself back onto her feet, only to fall once again. This time, she didn't have the strength to get up. The black and red male waited to see if she'd stand up again, but she didn't.

Curious as to what the female was doing, he went back to her. He could hear her ragged panting as she lay on the stony ground, her body trembling weakly. Fang stood over her for a moment, waiting for the white and pink simian to move. But when she remained where she'd fallen, he tapped her helmet with the tip of his tail.

Celty managed to turn her head to look up at him. "Sorry," she said, sweat dripping from her brow. "Looks like you'll be going on alone. I'm afraid I can't get up." Fang watched as her pink eyes closed weakly, heavy with fatigue. She wouldn't be going anywhere for quite a while, not with the state of exhaustion she was in. He could go on without her, she'd only been slowing him down anyway. He'd simply turn around, and walk away, leaving her to whatever Fate had in store for her.

A clawed hand grabbed the scruff of her neck and hauled her off the ground. She was swung over Fang's shoulder, then shifted into his arms. "I didn't waste my time and effort to get you out of there just to let you rot out here." he stated as he continued on. "Besides, you said you'd help me. I'm not letting you back out of your promise that easily." Celty was too tired to argue, so she settled her head against his shoulder and let the rocking of his movements lull her into a light doze.

Even with Celty's dead weight in his arms, Fang moved near effortlessly over the uneven ground. He climbed over a jagged rock supported by another large stone. Together, they created a small shelter. Fang paused at the entrance, glancing skyward. It had been dark all day, but now he could faintly make out the moon through the thick clouds. The air was also getting colder. In his arms, Celty shivered.

It was time to stop for the night.

The black and red simian ducked into the shelter, he sniffed the air as he peered about. When everything appeared to be safe, Fang set Celty against the wall and began digging up the dirt floor. Some sort of animalistic survival instinct seemed to guide him. He dug a shallow pit and lowered the female into it. Then he pushed the soil towards the entrance, using the mound to help block the moaning wind and to disguise the opening.

Once he felt satisfied that he'd done everything, Fang joined Celty in the shallow pit. Her body heat was already gathering in the sand around her still form as he settled down beside her. He pulled her against him, keeping himself between her and the entrance. Silently, he cursed her white coat. It made her so noticeable, and it drew attention in such a dark and bleak landscape. But in the shadows of their hiding place, with his black fur, no one would be able to see them.

The warmth radiating from her was unlike anything he'd ever known. Throughout his entire life, Fang had only ever felt the touch of cold metal and agonizing punishment. As Fang's eyes began to close, he felt Celty cuddle closer and entwine her tail with his.


	2. Life's nectar

Blood and Magic

By Princess Thil Galel

I DO NOT OWN

Thank you

R&R

Please Enjoy

Life's nectar

The strong coppery scent awoke him. Fang's eyes opened to darkness, even though it was morning. He glanced over his shoulder towards the entrance, the mound was still in place. No one had discovered them during the night. He sat up slowly, sniffing the air as he tried to locate the source of the smell. It was an aroma he was very familiar with-the scent of blood.

An itch on his side called his attention, but when he scratched at it, he discovered that something had died in his fur and matted it into knots. He combed through it with his claws, quickly setting his fur to rights. Flakes littered the dirt floor and clung to his hand. He brought them up for a closer look, and realized it was dried blood. But he wasn't bleeding. So where had it come from?

His eyes immediately went to his companion. Celty hadn't so much as twitched since she'd settled last night. Could she have died during the night? She'd been so weak yesterday, and she seemed like such a fragile creature. Armed with a potentially deadly weapon, but was unwilling to use it even to defend herself. Somehow he wouldn't be surprised if she was gone. The weak simply didn't last. Only the strong survived, and he was much stronger than her.

Fang placed his hand in front of her mouth, and waited. A warm breath caressed between his fingers. So she was alive. He leaned over her, searching for the injury he knew must be on her body. If they left a blood trail, they'd be easier to track. The sand under her was stained a brownish red. Fang rolled her over, he found the wound on her right side, her white fur colored as red as his own. He parted her crusty fur for a better look. A piece of broken glass protruded from her pale flesh. The flow of blood had stopped, drying around the shard of glass, trapping it there.

He lowered his muzzled and sniffed at the injury. A slightly sour smell flowed into his nose along with the scent of her blood. Infection was already setting in. The glass needed to come out, and the wound cleaned if it was going to heal. Knowing only one way to accomplish that, Fang placed his hands on either side of the injury, and fastened his sharp teeth onto the shard of glass.

A gasp flew from Celty's lips as she jerked awake. Dazed by the sudden return to the waking world, she struck out and forcefully shoved the other simian away. As she sat up and shook her head to clear it, a hand wrapped around her neck and pinned her against the stone wall. "Fang!" she gasped, tugging at his wrist. "What are you doing?"

With a growl he released her, then turned her so her side was facing him, and lifted her arm. "You're injury," he stated. "Be still." He didn't wait for a reply. Instead, he grabbed the glass with his teeth once more, careful not to break it on the sharp points, and snatched his head back. The shard ripped free of her flesh, tearing it's way out. He managed to clamp a hand over Celty's mouth just before she screamed. As he sat there holding the thrashing female against the wall with the bloody glass between his incisors, he saw something he'd never witnessed before.

Droplets of water swelled up in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. They made their way down to his hand and dripped onto the metal. Fang spat the glass out, and waited for the female to calm down. Celty's hand covered his over her mouth, pressing it firmly against her lips. Her body shook as she cried muffled sobs of pain into Fang's palm. It had hurt so _BAD_! He hadn't even given her a warning.

Unable to get enough air, she pulled his hand down. "Couldn't you have told me what you were doing?" she asked, fighting back a whimper of pain. "That _REALLY HURT_!"

Fang's bloody lips curled back in a snarl. "Would you have prefered if I hadn't removed it at all?" he snapped, then pressed his lips into a firm line. "It won't heal if there's something inside it. The glass had to come out, it would have only continued to cut deeper. And I told you to be still, didn't I?" When she flinched under his scolding, he couldn't bring himself to raise his voice again.

Once she seemed to have calmed down a little, Fang brushed his claws over the wound. Celty hissed through her teeth, her hands clenching into tight fists. He ignored her obvious discomfort. Pressing two of his fingers into the wound, he spread the edges apart until fresh blood flowed over his claws. The female whimpered in pain, her tail thrashing wildly as she tried to remain still.

Fang freed his crimson coated fingers from her side, and leaned down to peer into the wound. Now that the blood was flowing again, helping to flush the dirt and grime, he could clean it. He firmly grabbed the underside of her arm, and the top of her thigh. "Don't move," he ordered, "If you do, you risk splitting it further." The hand on her thigh moved to hold her chin, forcing all her attention onto his face. "I'm trusting you to keep your promise to help me escape. I need you to trust me not to hurt you, no more than what is necessary, or unavoidable."

Celty's eyes searched his gaze in silence. Fang was snappy, he was harsh, and he was designed to kill. But when he'd had her by the throat, he'd let her go. When the formless had nearly spotted them, he'd hidden her from sight with his own body. When she hadn't been able to climb down, he'd taken her burden on his back. And when she'd collapsed, he'd brought her to shelter, then laid beside her throughout the night. The black and red simian was more than a little rough around the edges, but underneath it all, Celty could see a good heart. Fang just needed to learn that it was there.

A soft smile curled her lips despite the pain in her side. "I trust you." she said, then leaned back hard against the wall with her eyes squeezed shut. "I'll try not to move." He grunted in response, and lowered his lips to her side. The first brush of his mouth on her burning flesh stung, making her toes curl. But then his tongue darted into the pocket of warm blood...and the pain was gone.

Celty's tense body relaxed, going limp against the wall. Fang ran his tongue over the angry red wound with gentle, even strokes, much like the way she'd seen the other monkeys tend to their own cuts and scrapes. She could faintly feel the sharp points of his incisors combing through the crusty fur around the injury as he cleaned away the bits of left behind glass and sand.

The sweet taste of Celty's fresh blood sent shivers down his spine, his fur bristling as a tingling sensation swept through him. The scarlet liquid tasted like iron, but it was remarkably delicious, and hot. He could feel the heat burning it's way down his throat, making a warm path to his stomach where a fiery blaze bloomed within him. For the first time in his life, Fang felt warm inside.

Knowing he couldn't risk bleeding her any longer, Fang gave her side one last lick, and pulled away, still savoring the taste of her life's nectar on his tongue. He placed her hand over the wound, and pressed it down. "Keep pressure on it." he instructed, then moved to the entrance of their shelter. "We'll give it a few minutes to stop bleeding, then move on."

The moment he stopped grooming her wound, the pain returned in full force. Celty bit her lip against the burning ache as she shifted to get more comfortable. "Well," she said with a wince. "I-if we're going to be here for a bit, do you want to talk?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder, a curious light in his eye. "Talk?" he inquired. "About what?"

Celty shrugged, and flinched at the stabbing pinch the action brought. "You look as old as me-give or take a few years." she said, "Surely you've seen or done something interesting."

The male turned away once more, letting his gaze wander over the barren wasteland he'd always known, and once called home. A shudder ran through him as memories flashed visions of the unspeakable horrors he had borne witness to. The blood he had seen spill over the dead ground upon which the Skelton King's castle was built. All the eyes of the living he'd watched grow dark as the spark of life faded into the black shadows cast by his former master.

Fang's claws scraped across the stone wall of their hiding place, leaving scratch marks behind as he remembered what that walking corpse had done to him. What he had turned him into. "The things I have seen...I hope you never do. The thing I've done...pray you'll never experience them." he growled. " My 'master' put me in the pits to 'train' me. How to survive. How to fight. How to kill. I've lost count of the numbers I slaughtered in that hell hole." He looked down at his hand. Images of his claws ripping through flesh, sprays of crimson splattering across the floor arose in his mind's eye. He could even recall the feel of his opponents' flesh between his sharp teeth as he'd torn out their throats.

Celty felt the blood drain away from her face. What terrors had that madman subjected him to? Killing others just to live another day? The things he must have endured sickened her. Celty rested the end of her long tail on his shoulder. "Fang, I'm so sorry." she apologised, "I didn't know...I didn't think..."

"I understand." he rumbled, clearly wanting to change the topic. "What of you? Tell me about the things you've done."

Her tail snatched away from him. He turned back to her, and saw the female curling herself into a ball, her eyes downcast. "I'm afraid I've little to speak of." she confessed, resting her forehead atop her knees. "I don't remember much about the life I had before I met the monkey team. Sometimes I see vague memories that come and go." Sighing softly, she raised her head and looked down at her hands. "These weren't my hands. I didn't have this tail, or this fur. That much I remember."

"You weren't a monkey." he mused, leaning casually against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. "So then what were you?"

"...A human." she murmured. Then she suddenly smiled, "But that's neither here nor there. Now I live with the Hyper Force."

Fang raised a brow at the sharp swing in her mood, and he began to wonder if be so down right positive all the time was a female trait, or just some unique quality of her's. "What exactly are the others like?" he asked. "I know little more than their names. Tell me how you fit in with them."

She smiled at the thought of the team, and remembered how she'd come amongst them. "Well, let's see..." she hummed. "There's Antauri-he's the SIC, and a master of the Power Primate. He's also telekinetic, as well as very spiritual, and he's kinda been like a father to me since I got here." she explained. From the gleam in her eyes and the tone of her voice, Fang could tell that this 'Antauri' meant a great deal to her. The mere idea made his fur bristle with indignation. "Nova's the only other girl there, so we bonded pretty quickly. She's their best fighter and their TIC. She and Sparx are a couple. Sparx is the pilot, and a flirt-I can't count how many times he's used terribly cheesy come-ons on me until Nova threatened to slap him silly!

"Otto's a fabulous mechanic-I swear he could build anything you could ask for! But even though he's got the mechanical genius, he's got more dollars than common sense as they say. But we plays games together all the time, and he's just a lovable soul. Then there's Gibson, the scientist and medical expert. I help him in his lab some times-handing him test tubes and chemicals, and cleaning up his messes when he abruptly moves onto something else. I actually find his sciene lectures pretty interesting, but he IS long-wided sometimes.

"And finally, Chiro. We haven't spent much time together really, especially since he's out with his girlfriend Jinmay a lot during his free time. But he's their leader, and he looks after his team-his family. That's what they are, a family. They love and support each other, care for one another."

Fang listened quietly, and intently. Taking in every word, making certain that he'd remember each one exactly. Antauri, Nova, Sparx, Otto, Gibson, and Chiro. The members of the Hyper Force. He'd never learned anything personal about them. A father, a pair of lovers, a 'lovable soul', a scientist, a young boy. And to think, if he had remained with his 'master', he would have killed them all and not even known which corpse was which.

He mentally shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought. "How's your side?" he asked, "Still bleeding?"

Celty cautiously removed her hand, shaking droplets of blood off her fingers. "I think so, but I don't think I'll be getting far for a while." replied the female, wincing as she gingerly touched the injury. She sighed, and slumped against the wall. "I'm sorry, Fang. I'm suppose to be helping you, but instead I've just been nothing but a burden."

The black and red simian snorted. "You're weak," he stated, "You're in a stituation that demands the best of you, but what you have simply isn't enough. I'm stronger than you, and I can hold my own against many obstacles. It's only natural that you would need someone with strength to support you. That is how things are, I don't begrudge you that."

"You put it so bluntly..." she mumbled.

He flashed her a lopsided smirk. "I say things as they are. Sorry if it offends you." he said with a shrug. As quickly as it had appeared, the smirk was gone. Fang looked out of the entrance, his scarlet eyes searching the barren landscape. "The coast is clear. We should get moving while we can." He had just cleared the sand mound out of the way when he heard a _'beep-beep'_ from behind him. The male froze, and whipped around. "What was that?"

The ends of Celty's antennae blinked red, with a chirp they opened as a communication came through. "**Monkey team to Celty,**" came Antauri's voice. "**Monkey team to Celty. Do you copy?**"

"It's the team! I'm getting a signal!" she exclaimed, then quickly answered the message. "**Celty to monkey team, I read you. Please respond!**"

"**Celty?**" came Nova's voice this time. "**Where are you? We've got your signal on the monitor, but we don't have a visual yet. Are you still inside Skeleton King's castle?**"

"**No, I escaped...along with a friend.**" she replied. "**We're in a small crevice between two large stones not too far from the castle. If we get outside you could easily spot us from the robot.**"

"**Hey, Doll Face.**" said Sparx. "**Who's this 'friend' of your's?**"

The white and pink simian's tail twitched in annoyance when the red monkey used his loathsome personal nickname for her. "**It's...difficult to explain.**" she ground out in irritation. "**You'll just have to get your tail down here and find out...Sparky.**"

"**I thought I told you to ne-!**"

"**Enough!**" ordered Antauri. "**Celty, we'll home in on your transmission signal. Remain where you are, we shall arrive shortly. Monkey team out.**"

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Several minutes past by before Fang heard the roar of the super robot's engines. He glanced briefly over his shoulder at Celty. She hadn't yet heard them, but she soon would. The male simian sniffed the air, drawing in the scent of burning fuel coming upwind of their shelter. Then, just on the horizon, he spotted the glow of the robot's thrusters.

"There they are..." he murmured. Fang looked back to the female as she shifted onto her knees and slowly crawled up beside him, her candy pink eyes squinting as she searched the sky. "I think it's best if you go out first. They're not going to be very happy to see me."

Celty smiled and covered his hand with her's. "You gotta think positive, Fang." she said "They're gonna be shocked, yes. But that doesn't mean that they'll reject you." They both turned as the super robot landed a short distance away. The hatch on one of the foot cruisers opened and the five monkeys streamed out behind the young human boy.

The white and pink female ducked out of the shelter and raised a hand to draw their attention. "Over here!" Once they spotted her, they ran to meet her as she limped towards them. Antauri reached her first, and the white female threw her arms around the silver simian. "Antauri! You don't know how happy I am to see you!"

The blue-eyed monkey returned her embrace, his forehead briefly resting against her's. "It is good to see you again as well, Celty." he said, then stepped out of her arms and glanced over her figure. His gaze found the brown-red stain in her fur, the freshly dried blood, and the crimson fluid coating her hand. "You've been injured. How did you come by it?"

She glanced down at her side, and feeling self-conscious, gingerly covered it with her hand. "Just a piece of broken glass, no big deal." she said, her long tail subconsciously winding around her torso, creating a barrier between them. "I'm just glad that you're all okay. After I lost sight of you and the others when the formless dog-piled you, I was afraid something awful had happened."

Before the second in command could speak, a green blur rushed past him crying out "Celty!" The team mechanic grabbed the white simian, nearly smothering her in his bear-hug. "Oh Celty I'm so glad you're okay!" exclaimed Otto, swinging her back and forth. "I thought we'd never see you in one piece!"

Tears formed in Celty's eyes as the energetic monkey's arms dug into her wounded side. "O-Otto!" she gasped, "My side-that really hurts!"

The green simian quickly released her. "Oh, sorry." he apologised.

Nova, Sparx, Gibson, and Chiro all gathered around her. The golden monkey placed a hand on the other female's shoulder as she swayed slight after being dropped back on her feet, feeling dizzy from the spinning. "Easy, I gotcha." she said, "Glad to see you're alright. How'd ya' get out of there?"

"Yeah," added Sparx, glancing around. "And where's this so called 'friend' of your's?"

Celty looked back, she could see the crimson glow of Fang's red eyes staring out at her from the shadows. She met his gaze across the way, and beckoned to him with her tail. His eyes darted over the team, a calculating look stealing over his face. He looked at her again, then stepped out of their hiding place.

All eyes fell on the black and red simian as the team turned to face him. He stood tall, his head held high,...and blood smeared on his white muzzle and incisors. Celty felt a gasp catch in her throat. She'd forgotten to check if he'd cleaned his mouth after tending to her wound, and she hadn't been able to see the blood in the dark.

Transformers activated, weapons lept from their sheaths. Ghost Claws, Electro Magnets, Robo-Fists, Cyber Drills, and Energy Saws. Chiro pushed Celty behind him as he shifted into a fighting stance. "Stay back, Celty!" he ordered, electricity crackling around his fist. "This must be another one of Skeleton King's sick jokes."

Instinctively, Fang displayed his own set of claws. One arm extended towards the team, the other drawn back like he was readying a bow for a kiss shot, his hand slightly touching the corner of his mouth. His lips were parted in a snarl that showed off his large incisors. A low, threatening growl rumbled deep within his chest.

Celty knew what would come next. Fang had been made to kill the Hyper Force, and had been trained to fight each and every member specifically. If they fought, it would be a blood bath. She roughly pushed Chiro's arm out of her way and ran between them, throwing her arms out like a barrier. "Wait, stop!" she exclaimed.

Sparx took a half-step forward, his magnets glowing with charged energy. "Move it, Doll Face!" he shouted, "We're taking this guy down."

"I'm not going anywhere." she declared. "Not until you lower your weapons-all of you!"

Gibson's Cyber Drills whirled, a laser point ready to be fired at each end. "Celty, you're injured, traumatized, and possibly suffering from blood loss." he reasoned, "You don't know what you're saying. His mouth is covered in blood, for the sake of Shuggazoom!"

Unable to take one more arguement, Celty cracked her tail on the ground like a whip. "If he was going to hurt me or any one of us, why would he have let me live this long? He could have easily gotten rid of me just after you landed-he could stab me in the back right now!" she snapped, her tail lashing wildly. She forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down before continuing. "He helped me escape. If it wasn't for him, who knows what Skeleton King would have done to me by now. Besides..." she smiled at the black and red monkey over her shoulder. "He's my friend."

Antauri inconspicuously extended his senses towards the strange simian, but found that he couldn't read him. It was like the black and red monkey was blocking him out with a telepathic shield. Even so, there wasn't a single being in the universe whose emotions the silver monkey couldn't read. He could feel several things rolling through the other simian. Anger, aggression, hatred. But above all else, he found a sense of hope and longing.

Without a word, he deactivated his claws.

"Antauri!" Chiro exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing?"

"Greeting our new friend." he replied, and walked up to the black and red monkey. He pressed a fist to his palm and gave a shallow bow. "My name is Antauri, second in command of the Hyper Force. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And you are?"

The other simian gave him a brief once-over, then held out his hand. "I've been designated as F4NG." he said as the silver monkey took his offered hand, then glanced at the female standing a short ways away. "Celty calls me Fang."

Celty came up beside them, a big smile plastered onto her face. "See? I told you." she said, then turned to the others. "Hey! Are you guys just gonna stand there all day, or are ya' going to come over and say hi?"

She was unsurprised when Otto was the first to approach them, dragging Nova along behind him. Celty could tell that Fang was trying to remain calm as the mechanic grabbed his arm and gave it a rough shaking. Thankfully, Nova was much easier on him.

Gibson, Chiro, and Sparx joined them. Each introduced themselves, although the red polit did so grudgingly. Antauri insisted that they return to the robot and leave before they were spotted.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

In the sickbay, Gibson lowered his zoom-specs from under his helmet as he inspected the white female's side as she sat on the table. He hummed occasionally to himself, carefully brushing her fur aside with his fingers. "Hmm, interesting. Very interesting indeed." he mused, "It would appear that you were in the first stage of sepsis."

"Sepsis?" she breathed, feeling a bit faint at the mere idea. "You mean buh-blood poisoning?"

The blue simian quickly realized his mistake. "Oh! Uh, there's no cause for alarm." he said, then gestured to the wound. "You see, you _were_ in the first stage of blood poisoning, but somehow it seems to have reversed itself. The only indication of it ever being present is the mild fever, elevated heart rate, and the red discoloring of the blood vessels surrounding the wound."

She shifted slightly to get a little more comfortable on the metal table as she kept her arm raised. "So then, it's gone?" she asked. "What do you think made it go away?"

He held his chin, deep in thought. "I'm not entirely certain." he admitted, sliding his specs back under his helmet. "It truly is puzzling. However just to be on the safe side, I'd like to give you a shot of antibiotics and recommend you sleep with a vasopressor overnight to help raise your low blood pressure."

Celty stiffened. "A vasopressor?" she inquired. "As in with an air mask, forcing gaseous drugs into my lungs? I don't think that's such a good idea, Gibson."

The scientist paused, a syringe half full of medicine in one hand, the bottle he was extracting it from in the other. "Why not?" he asked. "I promise you, the mask won't cause any irritation, and the gas will only be a low dose-"

"That's not it." she cut in quietly. She rubbed her ankles together, her tail swaying behind her as she looked away. "I...kinda have breathing prombles at night."

"You suffer from sleep apnea?" he inquired. "And you never said anything? Celty, sleep apnea can be dangerous-you should have told me about this sooner!"

She rubbed her shoulder nervously, keeping her eyes on anything but the blue scientist. "I didn't say anything, because I didn't want anyone to know." she admitted, her unusually long tail twitching. "If I sleep on my side, it doesn't bother me. So I thought it wouldn't matter if I didn't tell you. I've had it for years anyway, I know how to take care of it."

Gibson opened his mouth to respond, but stopped at her last comment. "Did you just say you've had it for years?" he asked. "You remember having sleep apnea?"

Celty paused, going over what she had just said. She remembered waking up some nights as a human, unable to even remember her face or where she slept, gasping for air after laying on her back. She remembered the terror of first waking up, her lungs burning, fighting to force breath back into her body, the racing of her heart.

Oh yes, she remembered it. All too well.

"Yeah, I've had it for quite a while." she said. "But it's really no big deal, Gibson."

The male sighed, pinching between his eyes. "I can see where this is going." he mumbled, mostly to himself. "Alright, if you promise to tell me every time you have any problems with your sleep apnea, I won't bother you about it unless it becomes a serious risk. Agreed?"

"Agreed." she replied.

He nodded as he pulled the now full syringe free of the bottle and set them aside. "Good," said the scientist, gently grabbing ahold of her arm. Taking a piece of alcohol soaked cotton, he swabbed her skin to sterilize the injection site, and picked up the syringe once more. "Now, deep breath in..." he plunged the needle into the crook of her neck as the female inhaled, then pressed the plunger down with his thumb slowly. "And breathe out." The blue simian withdrew the needle and exchanged it for another cotton swab to clean away the tiny red bead gathering on her skin. "You know, you're one of the best patients I've ever had the pleasure of working on, Celty."

The white simian giggled as he stuck a small bandage on her neck. "Why thank you," she said. "Do you want me to help you clean up?"

Gibson gathered up the cotton, used syringe, and bandage wrapper, tossing them all into the trash. "Oh good heavens no." he said, placing the bottle of antibiotics back into the medicine cabinet. "You need to stay off those feet for a while. I'm surprised you're still walking more or less normally, what with all the cuts on your soles." But he gave her a warm smile. "Although you're offer is most appreciated. Now, go find a place to sit down, and I'll see you at dinner."

Celty suddenly gasped. "Oh my gosh, dinner!" she exclaimed. "I completely forgot!" She slipped off the table, wincing at the soreness in her tender feet. "I gotta hurry and get started."

A tail latched around her waist, stopping her from running out of the room. "Hold on there, young lady." said Gibson. "Nova, Otto, and Chiro are taking care of it. So stay out of the kitchen. Why don't you go find your new friend instead? The two of you could _sit down_ somewhere and talk."

She rolled her eyes with a slight smile at the hidden order behind his words. "Alright, Hal. I get it." she said, "I'll go park it."

He smirked at the playful use of his first name, and removed his tail. "Very good." he said, "Perhaps when you're feeling better, you could give me a hand with another experiment. Interested?"

The white simian held out her hand with a grin. "Always." she said, shaking his hand. "See ya' later Gibson, don't blow anything up without me." She could her him chuckling as she left sickbay behind.


	3. Midnight Panic

Blood and Magic

By Princess Thil Galel

I DO NOT OWN

Thank you

R&R

Please Enjoy

Midnight Panic

When Celty sat down at the table, she could practically feel a sweat drop rolling down the side of her head. "When Gibson said that you three were making dinner," she said, "I thought you'd actually be cooking it. Picking up Hover burgers from Mr. Gackslapper's doesn't count."

Chiro turned the bag upside down, dumping out the ketchup packets. "Aw, c'mon Celty." he said, "Hover burgers are great, and besides, would you really want to eat anything we'd try to make?" He laughed when she snatched up a burger.

She unwrapped her food, then folded her hands in her lap, waiting for the others. Otto and Chiro were already digging in, gobbling down french fries and slurping up milkshakes. How they could put away that much food in so little time amazed her.

Antauri walked in with Sparx behind him, and Fang following. The red pilot looked rather irritated. Fang still had his normal expression, but she could see a hint of smuggness in the way he looked. 'He must have done something to tick Sparx off.' she guessed. 'Wonder what it was? It couldn't have been real bad since Antauri doesn't look unhappy. Probably shot his mouth off, or something like that.'

Nova paused with her burger an inch from her mouth when she saw the look on her boyfriend's face. "Sparx?" she inquired, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I _don't_ want to talk about it." he stated as he plopped down beside her. "Antauri, don't you say a word either."

The silver monkey held up his hands in surrender, then sat between Celty and Nova. He popped open the white to-go box containing his salad, ripped the clear plastic off his spork, and began his meal. Being a vegetarian, there was little else he would eat from Mr. Gackslapper's. Before Celty had come along, the team ate out almost every night, and not having any variety to choose from, she'd taken it upon herself to try and find different things for him to eat with his meals.

"Antauri," she said, "Would you like me to slice you a few apples? It would only take a minute."

He smiled that special smile of his, one that was sweet and fatherly. "No thank you, Celty." he replied. "Although the gesture is most kind."

"Are you sure?" she persisted. "It's no trouble-I'd be happy to do it."

A soft chuckled escaped the silver monkey. "It's quite alright, Celty." he said, patting the back of her hand. "All I want is for you to enjoy your meal, and get well."

The white female huffed silently. Sometimes she thought he didn't play fair. Even if he was entirely robotic, his body still ran on carbon-based fuel-basically anything organic could be used to power his battery cells. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted his approval. Pleasing him meant a lot to her. Celty wanted to see that look that said 'you did good, I'm proud of you'. Unfortunately, he didn't present her with many opportunities.

Celty glanced around the table. Chiro and Otto were trying to see who could stuff the most fries in their mouth. Nova was dipping her fries in her milkshake, while Sparx was shoving his burger down his throat with as few bites as possible. Antauri ate silently, occassionally sipping his water. She knew Gibson wouldn't be joining them, he rarely did, despite her many attempts to get him to the table. He often ate in his lab, and sometimes he didn't even eat at all.

But the one face she didn't see was Fang's. She looked over toward the entrance, and found him leaning against the doorframe. She giggled softly. "Are you going to join us, Fang?" she asked. "Or just stand there darkening the doorway?"

He looked at the food spread across the table, his muzzle wrinkling with distaste. "Nothing there is edible for me." he stated. "And besides, the smell isn't agreeing with me."

Sparx sneered at the other simian from across the room. "What's the matter, Tough Guy?" he mocked. "The big bad monkey can't choke down a little bitty hamburger?"

Fang raised a brow. "Isn't that what I just said?" he replied.

Celty growled at the red pilot as she stood, pushing her untouched food away, and pointed a stern finger at him. "Sparx-77, quite trying to pick a fight." she said, much like a mother scolding her misbehaved child. "This team is here to help others-not try to bully them because you don't understand them. I hope you remember that next time, before you say something you'll regret."

The room was completely silent as she walked out of the kitchen, grabbing Fang's hand as she went. All eyes turned to Sparx, who ducked his head. "Uh, anyone else think that was more than a little awkward?" he joked. Otto moved to raise his hand, but a look from Nova kept it firmly on the table.

Antauri casually set his glass down, along with his spork, and folded his arms over his chest. "She has a valid point, although her method of delivery was a bit harsh." said the silver monkey. His cobalt eyes fixed the red simian in their sights. "However, Celty is correct. You often speak your mind without thinking how your words will effect those around you. The tongue is like the rudder of a boat, Sparx, and that boat is on the river of life. Once you turn it, you cannot alter your course, and it may lead you over the edge of no return. Do you remember the last time you stirred yourself into harmful waters?"

The pilot flinched under the SIC's gaze. "Y-yeah, I remember." he admitted. When they had lost the Ice Crystal of Revenge to Valeena and Mandarin, Sparx had begun to voice the growing despair he felt inside. It was that doubt that had allowed the Fire of Hate to overtake him so easily. He'd pushed the others away instead of leaning on them in his time of hopelessness, and that had been the window the Skeleton King needed to return. The red simian clenched his fist. "I won't make that mistake again."

Nova placed her hand over his. He turned his hand over, took her's fully in his grasp, and held it tightly. The golden female smiled, and leaned her head against his. He turned slightly, and planted a kiss on her forehead, knowing she had almost paid the ultimate price for his mistake.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Celty lead Fang by the hand to a cold storage room down the hall from the kitchen. More or less, it was a glorified refrigerator. But it was a BIG glorified refrigerator, one filled with enough food to feed the team for six months.

Pressing a button to open the heavy metal door, she flicked on the light and pulled the other monkey inside with her. The frigid air curled around them like ghostly white fingers of mist. Their breath turned into clouds of steam. Beside her, it billowed from Fang's nostrils like a dragon puffing smoke. His longer fur was bristled out, giving him a wild appearance, and he was frowning.

She gave his hand a small tug to get his attention. "Don't appreciate the cold?" she asked. He shook his head, a barely visible shiver rolling through his body. "Well we won't be in here long. Let's just find something you can eat, then get out-I can't say I like this chill anymore than you." The white and pink female headed further into the room, glancing over the contents of the shelves. Multiple types of cheeses, countless different vegetables, and enough assorted meats to fill a dozen gourmet restaurants. "So what exactly do you eat?"

"Exclusively meat," he replied. "Red meats. I can eat fish, but find them distasteful."

Celty nodded slowly, running her finger over the labels. "Okay, so only red meats for the strictly carnivorous." she murmured. "From the look of your teeth I was pretty sure you'd be a big meat-eater. Do you prefer wild game or domestic? And where do you stand on fat?"

"It doesn't matter," he said, "I'll eat anything from both kinds, and fat doesn't bother me."

The female tapped her foot as she puzzled over which cut of meat he'd like best. But his vague answers made it a difficult task. "Well that narrows it down to several dozen types." she said sarcastically. "Alright, let's forget the kind of meat and focus on the preparation method. How do you want it cooked?"

His muzzled scrunched in disgust. "I don't." he stated. "I can't eat cooked meat-the taste is foul, the scent is nauseating, and my stomach regects it like a sickness."

At first, Celty's face remained blank, but once his words sank in she turned to him with wide eyes. "Wait, so then what you're telling me is that you eat-"

"Raw meat." he finished. "Yes, that's all I eat. All I can eat."

He watched her reaction carefully, waiting for her to be disgusted, or fearful. However, she did the last thing he expected. She chuckled.

Celty flashed him the 'rock on' sign with a grin. "Now that's what I call hard core." she chortled, then turned back to the shelves. "Well, then I guess we'll just have to sniff around and see what smells the best." She climbed up to the top, using the shelves like a ladder, and reached for a package she knew was close to the back.

"You're not repulsed by that?" asked an incredulous Fang. "Why not?"

Grabbing blindly, Celty stretched her arm as far as she could in hopes of reaching her sought-after prize. "Why would I be? You're designed to be a predator-a top predator actually. It's only natural that you'd have a diet set for the top of the food pyramid." she replied, straining to wrap the ends of her fingers around the corner of the package. "From sun above comes energy of life, through plants of green and flesh of red does it flow. Let ye who be at the peak of the pyramid take only what is needed to keep breath in the body, and cherish each beat of the heart which it sustains."

Fang raised a brow as she ducked under the overhead shelf to find whatever she was looking for. "What was that suppose to mean?" he asked. "And what exactly are you doing up there?"

The white female finally grabbed ahold of the package and dragged it over to the edge of the shelf. "Heads up." she called, then leaped down from the high shelf, staggering from the painful jolt of the landing. She rubbed her throbbing forehead, her vision blurring around the edges. "Remind me to not do that." Shaking her head, she held up the package. "I think you might enjoy this-T-bone steak. It's fresh, but cold. Do you want me to heat it up for you?"

He looked down at the white paper package in her hands, his stomach growling at the promise of food, and shook his head. "No, I'll eat it as it is." said the male, and took the wrapped meat, ripping the paper off with his claws. His large incisors sank deep into the cold slab of meat, shedding off a bite-sized piece. Once he swallowed it, and licked the cool blood from his lips, he glanced back at her as she watched him. "You didn't answer my other question. That thing that you said, what was it?"

Celty's cheeks turned pinker than the fur on her chest, she quickly turned her back to him, hoping he hadn't seen it. "Oh that...uh, just ignore me. I do that sometimes-a bad habit of mine." she stammered, twiddling her fingers, her tail twitching occasionally. "But basically, it means that someone consuming something else for food is just the way of nature. Plants get energy from the sun, and plant-eaters take in that energy when they eat it. Then the meat-eaters take that same energy from the plant-eaters by consuming them. That's why it doesn't bother me. I might not be able to eat my meat raw like you, but it's just something unique about you-something that says 'I'm Fang, and no one else'."

Fang tore off another chunk of meat, chewing it thoughtfully. This female just seemed to confuse him more and more the longer he was around her. The way she talked, the way she acted, the things she did. She was a mystery to him, and that intrigued him.

Her swaying tail caught his attention. His red eyes followed it, like a cat watching a string being dangled in front of it's curious gaze. When they had been escaping and she'd attempted to leave him to climb down the wall by himself, he'd grabbed that same long tail in his hand and snatched her off the floor. He had even wrapped his own tail around it, not once, but twice.

She suddenly turned back to him, the change in color gone from her face, and he had to force his eyes not to follow the motion of her tail as it settled behind her. "Let's get out of here, I can't feel my toes anymore." she giggled, then headed for the door. "You can finish eating in my room if you want." Once he stepped out of the frigid room, Celty shut the door, and grabbed his free hand as she lead him to her room.

Her room was another pod, just like all the other team members' rooms. Otto and Gibson had built her room in two days, with a combination of the green monkey's mechanical skills and the blue simian's advanced intellect. The room was painted a steely-grey, a standard color for all the monkeys' rooms, with a darker grey carpet underfoot. A desk stood on one side of the room, a bed on the other. Unlike the other simians, Celty couldn't sleep in a capsule, so they had brought in a bed made for a human and Nova had bought her hot pink satin sheets to go with it.

The female jumped onto her bed with a grateful huff, burying her face into the plush foam mattress. "I cannot tell you how good a simple bed feels at the end of the day." Celty sighed. She grabbed a corner of the sheet and rolled, wrapping herself it the soft satin, enjoying the silky material sliding over her fur. Glancing over to the male to see what he was doing, she giggled at the strange look he was giving her as he ate. When he stripped the steak free of meat, he snapped off the end of the T-bone and crunched it between his sharp teeth. "You eat the bones too?" inquired the white simian from within her pink cocoon.

"Bones act as reserves of important minerals in the body, mostly calcium and phosphorus. The marrow stores fatty acids. Bones also buffer the blood against excessive potential hydrogen changes by absorbing or releasing alkaline salts. And bone tissues store heavy metals and other foreign elements by removing them from the blood and reducing their effects on other tissues in the body." he explained, snapping off pieces and gridding them into smaller bits before swallowing. "The acid in my stomach can digest bones just as easily as it does meat, so splinters don't concern me like they would you." Once the last of the T-bone was gone, the black and red simian began licking his hand clean, his red tongue gliding over the mirror-like metal.

Celty couldn't help but stare at his gleaming claws, the light flashing off the tips like star points in the night sky. She had personally felt those claws cutting into her flesh, and knew how much they hurt. But he hadn't been trying to hurt her, he'd been helping her. Again she found her mind wandering back to that moment when she'd collapsed in the middle of the barren land. She hadn't been able to move another inch.

If Fang had been the truly heartless killer he'd told her he was made to be, then why didn't he just leave her there to die? And when she'd tried to convince him to climb down without her, he'd sounded almost angry when he snatched her up by the tail. That didn't seem like the things a 'heartless' killer would do. At that moment, Celty decided she would no longer label him something that he wasn't. Fang wasn't heartless, he was guideless. All he needed was to be shown the path to a better future.

When the male finished grooming the blood and bits of meat from his muzzle, he glanced around the room. Celty was obviously lost in her own thoughts, that long tail flicking slowly back and forth as she lay wrapped in the sheet. He let his eyes wander around the room, seeing what made this place Celty's. Nothing decorated the walls, and aside from the pink sheets, there was no color to the space. The desk had a closed book of paper with the image of a pencil, pen, charcoal stick, eraser, and chalk on the cover over the word 'Sketch'. Sitting beside the book was a case of some kind, closed tight with metal clasps.

Curious, he crossed to the desk, slid into the chair, and flipped open the book. On the first page was six different sets of handwriting, each a paragraph written to Celty by the Hyper Force. He briefly read them. Antauri's spoke of releasing one's creative mind through mediums of ink and paint. Gibson's was about accurate details, while Otto wrote about being crazy and imaginative. Nova's expressed fiery passion in all forms of art-both martial art, and drawing art. Chiro's was a short ramble about having fun while 'making doodles'. Sparx's was nothing but a flirt session on paper. Fang growled softly as he turned the page.

What lay on the paper made him pause. Staring back at him were the six set of eyes of the Hyper Force. The pastel colors blended together perfectly across the paper. In the picture, Chiro and Otto sat in the middle of the floor, rolling marbles as Antauri watched while levitating. Sparx sat in his chair with Nova leaning her head on his shoulder, and Gibson was using his zoom specs to examine the marble he appeared to have borrowed from the game.

He turned the page again. This time he found a picture of the golden female, Nova. She was smiling with her Robo-Fists giving two thumbs up. On the next page was Gibson, he was holding a test tube full of a purple liquid up to the light. Otto was on the page after, petting a tiny dog behind the ear as it licked his cheek. Fang growled when he found a drawing of Sparx. The red pilot was in the cockpit of some type of jet, smiling away as he soared through blue skies.

The black and red simian began to turn the paper, not wanting to look at the red male, even if it was just a drawing. A hand suddenly pinned the page down, stopping him from seeing the next picture. He glanced over his shoulder to the hand's owner. Celty smiled, the pink sheet still wrapped loosely around her. "I'm not done with that one yet, so no peeking." she playfully scolded, and flipped the book closed. "You can look at it after I finish coloring it."

A knock at the door drew their attention. Fang was instantly on his feet, facing the door with claws at the ready. Celty placed a reassuring hand on his arm, and gently forced it back down to his side before calling out, "Come in!" The door slid open to reveal the blue scientist and the silver SIC. "Hi Gibson, hey Antauri. What brings the two of you here?"

The sapphire simian held up a small machine the size of a match box attached to a clear air mask. Celty immediately knew what it was. "I've brought you the vasopressor." he said, "I also wanted to check in on you to see how you were holding up. Feeling any better after the antibiodtics kicked in?"

"Much better," she chuckled, then yawned. "But a little tired, of course. Did you need something too, Antauri?"

He nodded, his cobalt eyes on Fang. "I've come to discuss the matter of sleeping quarters with Fang." he said. "Seeing as it will take a slightly longer amount of time to build another pod, and he'll be needing a place to sleep in the meantime."

"Oh, well then problem solved. Fang's sleeping in my bed."

All three males looked at her. Gibson was so shocked he nearly dropped the vasopressor, Antauri gave her a hard, slightly concerned look, while Fang eyed her curiously. The silver simian crossed his arms over his chest. "And where will you sleep?" he asked.

"On the floor." she replied simply.

Antauri fell into what Celty had begun to playfully call his 'Big Daddy' mode. He beckoned to the female with a finger. She obediently crossed the room to his side and turned her head as he spoke softly so only she would hear him. "Celty, I don't like this idea." he murmured.

"C'mon Antauri. It's not like I haven't shared a small space with the guy over night." she argued, "Besides, where else can you put him? Otto makes him nervous-he's just too hyper for Fang to deal with. Gibson'll be up all night with the lights on. Nova doesn't let anyone in her room, and I doubt she'd start with a guy she just met. If you put him and Sparx in the same room together alone they'll tear each other apart before morning. And I know sure as heck you're not about to let him bunk with Chiro! Face it, this is the best option we've got."

The silver monkey drew in a deep breath through his nose, and slowly exhaled from his mouth, releasing a little pent up frustration. Everything she had said was true, Fang couldn't room with any of the others. But that didn't mean he liked the idea of the young, meek female sharing quarters with a male possessing an aggressive streak. However, Fang hadn't brought the girl any harm, and Antauri believed in giving others the benefit of the doubt. And so, he slowly nodded his consent.

A bright smile lit up her eyes as she touched her forehead against his. "Thanks Antauri." she said. The blue-eyed simian couldn't resist returning the gesture. But when his gaze drifted past her and fell on Fang, he wished there had been another option. The black and red male was staring at him intently, his fur bristled, claws twitching slightly, tail perfectly still behind him. There was a tension in his body, like he was looking for a reason to spring at him. Antauri didn't like the challenging look in the other male's eyes. In a silent, primal way, Fang was challenging his position as the domniate male in the room.

However, both Gibson and Celty were completely blind to the wordless exchange. In fact the blue simian was already instructing the female in how to use the vasopressor. "It's quite simple really," he said, "All you do is slip it on, press the grey button, and take deep, even breaths. Nothing to it. I've already pre-set the dosage, so there's no need to adjust anything."

Celty carefully took it in her hands, holding it like it would come alive and bite her. "Okay, thanks Gibson." she replied, then wrapped him in a hug, and whispered in his ear. "I know you didn't eat dinner, naughty monkey, so go get something out of the kitchen. I made you a sandwhich-it's in the microwave."

He blushed as they parted, and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Oh, caught me again, did you?" he quipped.

The female set her hands on her hips. "Not eating is a very bad habit, Hal." she said, tapping the end of his nose. Teasingly, she added, "Don't make me start feeding you myself." With a laugh, the two exchanged good-nights and wishes for pleasant dreams. Celty hugged the silver monkey's neck, and he wrapped an arm around her briefly, then the two departed.

A yawn escaped the white and pink simian. "Boy, I'm so tired." she mumbled heading to the closet. Reaching inside, she pulled out several thick blankets and set them on the floor. She took out one more and tossed it over the bed, smoothing out the wrinkles as it settled. "There, all set for ya'." The female used the thick blankets to make a pallet on the floor by the desk, she set the vasopressor down on the pillow she'd taken out and tossed the sheet she'd been wearing onto the pallet.

Turning to see if Fang had settled himself comfortably, she found him pressing his hand on the mattress experimentally. She giggled as she plopped down on her makeshift bed. "I swear it's not gonna bite you." she teased, and fell back laughing when he glared at her comment. He turned back to the bed and climbed on without a word. "So is it comfortable enough? Do you need another blanket or pillow?"

Fang glanced back at her, then suddenly launched himself off the bed. He landed nearly on top of her, causing her to gasp in surprise, their muzzles almost touching. Both became perfectly still, only Fang's tail moved, swaying back and forth slowly as they gazed into the other's eyes. He was standing on all fours, hovering over her, his cool breath caressing her cheek. "You worry about others too much," he stated. The male straightened and got back in the bed. "From now on, if I need something I won't hesitate to ask. But think about yourself a little more often, others can take care of themselves."

Celty watched as he turned his back to her, pulling the cover up over his shoulder. She hadn't moved since he'd jumped on her-too stunned to even blink. They had been so close together that their lips had nearly been touching. Her heart thumped hard in her chest as a lump formed in her throat. She reached up above her head, flicked off the light, and pulled on her air mask as she turned on her side. Hopefully a good night's sleep would calm her nerves, and make her forget about the flirtatious glint in his ruby eyes.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

_Celty stood on a wire-thin tight rope suspended over an endless body of water. She gasped as the she teetered to one side, the sound echoing like she was in a cave rather than out in open air. A jolt went through the tight rope, causing her to slip off. The white simian grabbed the thin wire, feeling it cutting into her metal hand. Another shockwave rocked the tight rope, shaking Celty about wildly. Her grip slipped finger by finger, and the wire snapped._

_She fell into the water waiting below her. The female hit the surface with a soundless splash, the waves closing over her head. She reached up towards the light above, swimming for the surface. Her lungs burned, craving the fresh air that was only a few feet away. But the more she swam, the more the promised oxygen seemed to get farther and farther out of reach._

_The dark water around her grabbed at her tail, jerking her down into the cold depths below, and she watched in horror as the light of the surface dwindled into nothingness._

The female bolted upright with a choked gasp. Her heart was beating way too fast, her breath came in short, shallow gasps. 'Not this!' she thought frantically, snatching the vasopressor off. 'Not now!' She covered her mouth, trying to muffle the sound of her crazed breathing. Celty quickly jumped out of her makeshift bed, and ran out of the room.

She ran down the hall to another teammate's room. Thankfully the door was unlocked, so she ran straight into the room. The light flicked on instantly, a small waterfall flowed out of the wall to her right, forming a tiny stream that ran around the small rock garden in the center of the room. The capsule mounted on the wall opposite of the door opened, and a pair of cobalt eyes met her pink ones from across the room. "Celty?" asked Antauri, "What's happened?"

"...Tauri...Ca...Bre-!" she forced out, coughing harshly as she sank to the floor.

The silver simian was across the room instantly. He knelt down beside her, turned her onto her side, and rested her head on his lap. "Easy Celty," he shushed softly, running a hand along her arm in a soothing motion. "We've gotten through this before, and we'll do so again. Focus only on your breathing, and the sound of my voice." The male gently held the young female as her body periodically jerked in time with her stuttered breathing.

This was the second panic attack she'd suffered since her strange arrival a little over a week ago. It was safe to say that it was beginning to worry him. Two attacks in less than two weeks? Surely there was something he could do. Simply calming a scared, frantic youngling wasn't good enough for him.

Antauri closed his eyes, his body becoming encased in a greenish-white glow that flowed down his hands and surrounded the panting girl's body. The sound of her racing heart filled his ears, thundering unrhythmically. Her breathing was like a fish out of water, gasping desperately for air. The silver simian carefully lifted her head and touched his forehead to her's, letting the strength of the Power Primate flow into her being.

A deep, cleansing breath filled her. Her lungs swelled, forcing her heart to beat slower in the smaller space they left within her ribcage. The tension in her body disappeared, leaving her form limp in the SIC's hold. Antauri continued his soothing caress on her arm as the young female's muscles relaxed. Finally, the white simian slowly grabbed hold of his arm with a trembling hand. "I'm...I think I'm...okay now." she panted quietly, "I'm...sorry for...buh-barging in and...waking you up...Antauri."

"You have nothing to apologise for, Celty." he reassured her, lowering her head back down onto his lap once more. "I'm glad you came to someone this time. I hate to think of you laying on the floor by yourself in such a state." The first time she'd had an attack it had struck her while in a storage room. Instead of trying to contact someone, she'd allowed herself to collapse on the floor against a small generator. Hidden in the dark corner, Antauri had nearly missed her when he'd come looking for her after she'd been gone over an hour.

The way she'd looked at him when he'd found her, with terrified candy pink eyes. At first she'd tried to ignore him, curling into a tight ball with her eyes squeezed shut, begging to be left alone. When he refused to leave, she'd pressed herself as tightly into the corner as possible, like she was attempting to melt into the wall. He had eventually coaxed her out of the corner, only to have her begin apologising for having the attack in the first place. Somehow, it seemed that she'd been even more terrified of him discovering her than the actual panic attack.

"I...I just...panicked. I didn't...know what else...to do." she panted, tears suddenly gathering in her eyes. "I didn't want...Fang to see. He...already thinks...I'm w-weak."

"Shh, hush now." he soothed, brushing the tears from her cheeks. "You're not weak, Celty. Your heart is one of the strongest I've ever had the honor of knowing. Do not concern youself with whatever he may say."

"But I _am_ weak!" she blunted out, the outburst bringing on another coughing fit. "He had me by the throat, Antauri. Before I conviced him that there was more to life than serving a master who only uses him, he was going to snap my neck-as if I were a mere insect to be crushed underfoot! And I..." the female choked back a sob, clutching his hand tightly in despair. "I was going to let him do it. I wasn't even going to fight back for my own life."

The white simian raised her tail weakly, the stinger-like spike sliding out of it's hiding place. "I was giving this thing...this weapon...to protect myself, and yet just looking at it makes my stomach twist in knots." she quickly retracted the spike, unable to look at it. "It makes no sense! I'm practically designed to use this thing in battle-with this extra long tail to keep my body out of reach, and whatnot! But every time I even think about using it on anybody-even my enemy-something inside me suddenly hurts like there's a knife in my chest."

Antauri tightly shut his eyes, knowing that there were no words he could say that would soothe her. He held her hand as she clung to his with both of her's, pressing it to her cheek. The female was practically resting her head on his lap as she cried in a fetal position.

After nearly an hour of crying her heart out to him, the silver monkey finally calmed the female enough to reassure himself that her panic attack wouldn't return, and he sent her back to her room. He walked her to his door, brushed the wet streaks from her face one last time, and watched her walk back to her room. As he rested his hand briefly on the doorframe, Antauri's thumb brushed over something. Taking a closer look, the SIC discovered a set of claw marks. When he traced over them with his fingers he realized they fit into the grooves, and he knew exactly where they had come from.

Fang had been standing outside of his room, listening to every word they had said. For what purpose, he knew not. But something that had been said had brought an obvious rise of anger out of the black and red male. Glancing down the hall to Celty's room, the blue-eyed simian only hoped that the emotionally wrung female was still as safe as she believed herself to be with him.


	4. Mandarin

Blood and Magic

By Princess Thil Galel

I DO NOT OWN

Thank you

R&R

Please Enjoy

Mandarin

Celty hummed a pleasant, wordless tune as she stepped into the kitchen. Turning on the sink, she gave her hands a thorough washing and moved to the fridge. While she reached inside, her tail flicked on the stove and moved a pan onto a burner. She had to admit, having an extra limb like her tail came in handy.

She collected the carton of eggs, the milk jug, butter, cheese, and a packet of bacon. Carefully balancing the cold food in her arms, the white simian shut the door with her foot and moved to the stove. Taking a butter knife out of the drawer, Celty cut off a slice of the yellow margarine and dropped it into the pan, swirling it around until it melted. She took a bowl down from the cabinet and began cracking eggs into it, then whisking them until they were a sunshine puddle.

Adding milk, cheese, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper, she poured the contents into the hot pan. The mixture hissed as it touched the metal, releasing a scent that made her mouth water. The melted butter sizzled under the cooking omelet as the female raised her tail, the spike sliding out, and used it to slice open the bacon. She turned on another burner as she took a second pan out of the stove, then reached into the packet for a strip of meat as she set the pan on the flame.

A metal hand suddenly latched onto the back of her neck. She flinched with a gasp, the bacon slipping between her fingers, her body locked stiff. Her captor scoffed by her ear. "Not even going to struggle, huh?" asked the black and red monkey as he leaned over her shoulder. "You should always be alert, never know when someone will try to sneak up on you."

Celty nearly melted in relief. "Oh God, Fang you almost gave me a heart attack!" she breathed, and turned around to face him, hands placed firmly on her hips. "You're not suppose to be up yet-I'm still cooking. Go lay back down for a while, I'll call you when I'm done." She made a shooing motion with her hand, expecting him to leave. But, of course, he did something she didn't expect him to do. He went to the table on the far side of the room, pulled out a chair and sat down. He positioned himself so he could rest his arms on the back of the chair, his chin in the palm of his hand, his eyes trained on her. Apparently he wasn't going anywhere.

With a shrug, she turned back to her cooking. Thankfully, the bacon had landed back in the packet when she'd dropped it. She tossed it in the hot skillet, listening to it hiss and pop as she flipped the omelet onto a plate and poured the next one into the empty pan. Behind her, Celty heard Fang exhale sharply through his nose. "The smell bothering you?" she asked, her tone showing a hint of sympathy. "I told you to go relax in my room. You did say the scent of cooking meat made you feel sick to your stomach, didn't you?"

Fang scrunched his muzzle. "I'll get use to it." he murmured, watching her move skillfully about the kitchen. "So, this is what you do here? You're the maid?"

The female placed bread slices in the toaster, setting it to 'light brown'. "I guess in a way I am." she replied, opening the fridge. "But it's not like I mind either way. Since I'm not a fighter and I can't pilot any part of the Robot, this is what I do to help out." She took a bowl from the cabinet, and a container and a cup out of the fridge. "Just about finished." she murmured, mostly to herself. "All that's left is Antauri's strawberries and yogurt."

A growl escaped the male. He gritted his teeth, the slight nausea he'd been feeling disappeared and was replaced by irritation. Celty glanced back over her shoulder at him, an eyebrow raised in question. The black and red simian's tail lashed about, his ebony fur bristling as he sank his claws into the back of the chair. "You left the room last night," he stated, his tone eerily calm. "Tell me why."

Celty's heart leaped into her throat, she quickly turned back to the stove. "Oh, it's...you know, nothing really." she mumbled, pulling the bread from the toaster and setting them on the plates next to the omelets. "I just...it's no big deal." The female reached for one of the plates, preparing to set the table, when from out of nowhere Fang's hand latched onto her wrist. 'How did he get over here so fast?' she wondered. 'I didn't even hear him get up!'

He turned her around to face him. He wasn't rough, but he was firm, demanding she do as he silently intructed. "I decide what's important to me, and I say this qualifies." he said, "Now tell me what I want to know."

She turned her head away, "It's none of your concern," she said defensively. "Just leave it at that."

Fang raised a brow with a curious rumble. A meek female with a hint of dominance. He hadn't expected that. She had seemed so docile, and yet she was openly challenging his authority, although it appeared more than a bit reluctantly. He watched as she crossed her arms and wrapped her long tail around herself, creating a barrier to ward him off. But she wasn't allowed to shut him out, not if he had anything to say about it.

He leaned forward, bracing himself against the counter, his arms on either side of the female, trapping her there. If she wanted to leave, she'd have to fight her way out, and he knew she wouldn't struggle. He nudged her forehead with his, since she seemed to respond to the action when the silver simian used it, perhaps it would get him what he wanted. "It is my concern. I've saved your life, therefore your life is now my responsibility." he said, then gave a low growl to show he meant business. "Tell me, now."

"I said no!" she snapped, then sharply turned around, tightly hugging herself.

The male jerked back in surprise. He hadn't thought she'd retaliate so fiercely. She had actually bared her teeth at him for a brief moment. For one so docile to lash out in such a way, Fang was certain she was hiding something important, and that made him all the more determined to get it out of her. He leaned over her shoulder, setting his hands softly on her sides. He could feel her flinch when his hand covered the healing wound there, his fingers reflexively traced the edges with his clawtips. She winced again and again, but didn't protest.

"It seems to be healing nicely." he murmured, brushing the surrounding fur back with his thumb, causing her to give a brief hiss of discomfort. A few flakes of dried blood came loose from her fur as he carefully worked his claws through it, and the corners of his mouth turned down. "You should let me clean it again, sometime soon." He shifted his attention to her neck, more specifically to the small bandage that clung to her fur. "However, this is coming off, right now."

Celty jumped when he pressed his muzzle into the crook of her neck, his lips and teeth and tongue working at the bandage. His saliva easily loosened the adhesive, while he used his lips and teeth to slowly pull it free. A shiver crawled up her spine when she felt his clawtip touch the injection site, and heard him growl. Obviously he didn't trust needles, and if she had been in his position, neither would she. "It was just some antibiotics," she reassured him. He rumbled in response and began grooming the small pinprick. Celty felt that same sesation sweep through her from when he had cleaned her side. A relaxing, soothing feeling that made her want to go limp. "If you're trying to butter me up...I'm afarid it's working."

He gave her neck once final lick before pulling back. "You are all I have out here, there's no one else I can turn to-no one I can trust." he said. "But I trust you, as foolish a choice as it may seem. If I want to know what's going on, it's because I don't trust the others. You're my only ally, and I can't risk you getting yourself killed. Like I said, you need someone with strength to protect you, that's what I'm trying to do."

She sighed in defeat. "I understand that, but you're still the last person I want to tell." she admitted, still keep her face out of his line of view. A tear slid down her cheek as she trembled with silent sob. The last thing she wanted was for him to know just how weak she was-so weak that she needed Antauri to calm her down in the middle of the night after a nightmare.

Fang's tail brushed over her cheek, catching the tear. He frowned puzzlingly down at the droplet clinging to the metal of his tail. "Curious thing, these drops of water." he mused. "You're eyes were leaking these when I pulled the glass out of your wound. What are they?"

"You mean tears?" she asked, scrubbing her cheeks dry. "I wish I didn't cry so much, but I'm not good at holding my feelings in." He flicked his tail, sending the droplet flying as the female quickly set the table. "I'm gonna go wake everyone up. Are you coming or staying?" Fang gestured to the door, inviting her to take the lead.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Celty quietly stepped into Gibson's room, she turned the lights on low and crossed the room to the capsule. Easing open the lid, the white simian smiled down at the blue monkey sleeping there, curled up while holding onto a container of heating chemicals. She giggled softly as she gently shook his shoulder. "Good morning Gibson," she said, watching his bleary eyes blink open. "Come on, it's time to get up."

Gibson sat up with a yawn, stretching his arms up over his head. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the blue simian allowed Celty to lead him out of the room. However, once he stepped out of the door, he immediately turned. But the female quickly grabbed him by both shoulders and steered him back in the direction of the kitchen. "Oh no you don't," she laughed as he groggily mumbled a protest. "You're not going there just yet. Breakfast first, lab second, Hal."

When they reached the kitchen, the others were already digging in. Celty guided the scientist to his chair and gave his neck a brief hug. Because there were only six seats at the table, the white simian retreated to the counter by the stove to have her meal. Fang stood beside her, eating raw strips of bacon. He'd finished off what had been left of the first packet and had moved onto another. She smiled as she watched everyone enjoying their meal. "So," she began, "What's on the agenda for today?"

Chiro drained his glass of orange juice, and picked up a piece of bacon. "It's Friday, we go to the park on Fridays." he said, "Do you wanna come with us, Celty?"

She shook her head with an apologetic smile. "No thanks, according to my 'doctor' I need to rest. Besides, I promised I'd help Gibson blow something up today anyway." she joked. "But maybe next time."

The boy's mouth fell open in shock, but Gibson quickly spoke up. "We are not blowing anything up, Chiro. Celty is only jesting." said the scientist, taking a bit of his toast. "I need some assistance in an experiment, and Celty has offered her services, as usual." Gibson began to ramble on about the fusion of new chemicals that could be used to make instant fuel for the robot. Celty did her best to pay attention, for she found his science lectures interesting. But the pain suddenly growing behind her forehead made it difficult to even remember to chew the food still in her mouth.

Antauri sensed the discomfort she was in immediately. "Celty, are you alright?" he asked, rising from his chair, but paused when she raised a hand to stop him. He watched as she set her plate down on the counter and pressed the heels of her hands to her forehead. All eyes fell on her, looks of sympathy and concern went around the room. The migraines came without warning, and the pain would become so intense that tears would flow freely down her face. One had even been powerful enough to knock her unconscious.

The white simian felt a hand on the back of her neck, the fingers kneading two sensative spots near the base of her skull. She could feel the needle sharp tips of Fang's claws gently pressing circles into her tense muscles, encouraging them to relax. The female instinctively leaned against him in hopes that he could take the pain away. Fang tensed, but allowed her to lay her head on his shoulder. "I'm guessing this happens often?" he asked the others.

Gibson nodded. "Unfortunately yes, I believe it stems from her lack of memories." he explained. "People who experience amnesia occasionally deal with extreme headaches at random intervals, and these migraines are sometimes accompanied with brief memory flashes."

"Celty and I have been trying to learn more about her lost past through these brief windows while they're open." said Antauri as he stood and crossed the room. Fang glared openly at the silver monkey as he approached them, the end of his tail twitching. The SIC ignored the black and red simian as he gently took hold of Celty's chin. He silently coaxed her into holding her head up, then framed her face in his hands. "Can you tell me where the pain is, Celty?" She touched her forehead, keeping her eyes tightly shut. Antauri nodded silently, he activated his Ghost Claws, placed then on either side of her head, and phased their tips into her helmet.

Fang immediately snarled threateningly, baring his teeth. Before anything could turn ugly, Celty's tail rested against the side of his muzzle, and the angry growls ceased. "It's okay, Fang, he's not hurting me." she said, her voice strained and stiff. "Antauri could ghost his whole hand into my head and not hurt me. He's just gonna look into my mind, and see what he can find. I promise it doesn't hurt-I don't feel a thing." Fang's expression slowly relaxed, his incisors disappearing almost completely behind his lips, only the tips remained exposed as usual. The black and red male folded his arms with an unhappy look, his eyes on Antauri, as if he were daring the silver monkey to try anything funny.

Seeing that the aggressive simian wasn't going to lunge at him, Antauri turn his attention back to Celty. He rested his forehead against her's, closed his eyes, and slid his clawtips into her helmet once more. A grey static like image filled his mind's eye, like a television with a bad signal. The silver simian focused all his telekinetic powers on the female's mind, but the grey mass didn't disperse. He felt her shift uncomfortably, and grab his wrists. "You'll have to go deeper than that, Antauri." she ground out, "I can barely feeling your presence at all." Taking a calming breath, the SIC phased his Ghost Claws further into her, all the way to his palms.

Antauri opened his eyes, but he didn't see Celty or the kitchen where he had been. Instead, he saw a grey field of grass, a few colorless trees, and a small lake filled with grey water. He glanced up to the equally grey sky with it's white-grey clouds, and felt a breath of wind caress his cheek. Looking back down to the field, his eyes widened at what he saw. Shadowy silhouettes slowly faded into view, shapes of human children ran around in the field. Their bodies were entirely black, the silver monkey could only see their outlines, but not any of their faces. Their laughter echoed faintly as they ran and played, chasing each other and bouncing a ball around.

Another sound drew his attention. He turned to see the silhouette of another human standing a short distance away. Like the children this figure was also blacked out, but the circle of grass around the human's feet was green. The new human cupped their hands around their mouth and seemed to call out to the children. But the sound of any voice that possibly came from the human was soft and muffled, and what little noise he could hear echoed like the laughter of the children, it's meaning lost in the grey landscape.

The sliver simian blinked, and found himself back inside the kitchen, his Ghost Claws buried deeply in Celty's helmet. Slowly, as to not startle her, he slid his claws out, and sheathed them. "Gibson," he said, placing a comforting hand on the female's shoulder as she leaned against Fang's arm. "How long was I in?"

"Two minutes, forty-five seconds." the scientist answered. "Twenty seconds longer than last time."

Celty touched his hand to get his attention. "What did you see?" she asked, a nervous quiver in her voice. "Anything new from last time?"

Antauri folded his arms, frowning hard. "Yes, but what I saw confuses me." he said. His gaze shifted to the ceiling, a thoughtful look in his cobalt eyes. "This time I found myself in a colorless world of grey, in a place that looked much like a park of some kind. I saw shadows of children playing, their forms were completely black without a single detail. Then I saw another human standing a short distance away, fully blacked out just like the children. But this human was standing in a circle of green grass-as if they held some sort of significance."

She sighed as she straightened, rubbing her temble to banish the remains of her headache. "That doesn't give us much information." she commented. "I know for certain that I wasn't one of those children, unless that was a VERY old memory." Celty put her plate in the sink and turned on the water, watching as the small yellow remains of the omelet wash down the drain. Breakfast seemed to abruptly end. Everyone quickly finished the remains of their meal, and went to collect their things to take to the park.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Otto came into the loading hatch carrying a large box filled with outdoor toys, a baseball that was balanced atop a frisbee fell out when he stumbled. The ball rolled across the floor, and came to a stop against Fang's foot. The black and red simian picked up the red-stitched white sphere, and turned it over in his hand, gazing at it curiously. Celty smirked as she watched him toss it idly from one hand to the other, and turned to Otto. "I think you've got someone else to play catch with," she said, "Since I'm not going you could play with Fang."

The black and red simian immediately stopped. "I'm not going with them." he stated, and dropped the ball back into the box.

However, the female took it out again, and put it in his hand. "Come on, Fang," she pleaded, hold his hand around the baseball with both of her's. "This is what life is all about-being able to do whatever you choose. Go have some fun." Fang's muzzle scrunched, and it appeared that he was going to refuse. But after he saw the look in Celty's candy pink eyes, he grudgingly nodded.

The white and green simians slapped high-fives before Otto picked up his box of toys once more and ran for the hatch. The black and red male rolled his eyes, and walked out after the mechanic. Fang glanced back over his shoulder to the hatch behind him. Celty offered him a smile, and winked. The male returned the gesture with a smirk, the tips of his incisors flashing. As he followed behind the others he couldn't help but wonder if she was being reassuring, or a little flirty?

After watching the team disappear from sight, Celty went back inside, the hatch closing behind her. She walked into Gibson's lab humming her wordless tune. The scientist was studying a glass slide under a microscope, writing down notes with a pen that he was holding with his tail. "Sit anywhere you like, Celty." he said, never glancing away from his work. "Right now all I'll be doing is recording a few reactions on a molecular level. Nothing I'll need help with until I finish. Feel free to do as you like."

The female moved over to the bookcase near the back of the lab. She'd been reading a few of Gibson's science books, keeping herself familiar with scientific terms and chemical names. However, the book she'd been using wasn't in the place she'd left it. Glancing around in confusion, her gaze wandered over the rest of the shelf in search of her book. She found it in an unusual place-on the top shelf.

Setting her hands on her hips, she frowned up at the red spine of the book. "Now how did you get way up there?" she questioned it. Then, with a shrug, she began climbing. Being a monkey didn't mean she was as good at it as the others. They had been born to climb, while she was still trying to get completely use to having her tail.

She carefully tested each shelf before trusting it with her weight. A few of them creaked, but held. Finally, she reached the top of the bookcase. Stretching her arm up, she nearly had the book in her grasp, when the book next to it suddenly jumped off the shelf and smacked into her palm. She gasped in shock, her grip on the shelf came loose, and she fell to the floor with a _thud_. "Celty?" called Gibson, "What are you doing back there? Are you alright?"

"I was getting a book off the shelf, and klutzy me, I slipped." she answered with a nervous chuckle. "But I'm okay. I don't know how you guys make climbing seem so easy!" She heard the blue simian chuckle with good humor, and he asked her to be careful. Certain that he wasn't going to come into the back, she looked at the book that had somehow flung itself into her fingers. The title was written in a language she didn't recognized, but could somehow understand. "The Grimoire of Macrotus?" she read aloud. The word 'Macrotus' didn't sound familiar, but 'grimoire' did. A textbook of magic. But what was something like that doing in Gibson's lab?

Curious, Celty decided to chance a peek inside. The writing inside was just as strange as the title, and yet it might as well have been written in english. Every word, every letter seemed to change just as her eyes found it, then changed back when she glanced away from it. She flipped through the pages, her gaze skimming over the paragraphs. Reanimation spells, evil purging incantations, element summoning ceremonies, and enchantments of all kinds. Some of it seemed completely ridiculous, some gruesome, and some were just plain weird.

She flipped from one section to another, murmuring the spells under her breath, never once noticing the pink glow of her palms as she recited the incantations. The female continually glanced over her shoulder towards Gibson's workplace, hoping he wouldn't catch her reading something so outlandish as a magic book. She believed in magic, just not that it was something someone could find in a book.

After three straight hours of reading, Celty heard a soft rumbling noise. Getting up, she glanced around the corner of the shelf to see Gibson with a hand over his stomach. The blue simian caught sight of her watching him, and blushed with a sheepish smile. Celty giggled behind her hand. "Oh Gibson, are you ready for lunch?" she asked teasingly.

He chuckled, waving the offer off. "Oh-I-uh, n-no, I'm perfectly fine!" he said. Another growl contradicted him.

"Uh-huh, so then your full from swallowing that grizzly bear that's roaring like a thunderstorm in your belly, right?" she quipped, rolling her eyes. She set the book back on the shelf and walked past him, patting his shoulder as she did. "I'll go fix up something to eat. Be back in a minute."

Gibson smiled fondly after her. "You truly are too good to us, Celty." he murmured, then turned back to his notes. A shadow fell across the floor as the sapphire simian put his eyes back on the microscope. A set of onyx black claws flashed in the light overhead, and slammed into the side of his head.

The attacker smirked down at the now unconscious scientist. "Ah, Gibson, you always did spend too much time on your studies, and never enough watching your back."

"Gibson, I made BLTs, is that okay?" asked Celty as she stepped back into the lab several minutes later, balancing two plates on one arm. The overhead light was turned off for some odd reason, but the light on Gibson's work desk was still on, and the simian was sitting in his chair, his back to her. "I brought chips too, in case you felt snackish later."

He didn't respond. A strange sensation tingled up the female's spine, like a warning against danger. "Hal?" she asked, moving closer. "Are you okay?" Her foot bumped against something. She looked down, squinting through the dark. Laying sprawled out on the floor, was Gibson. A gasp escaped her, the plates clattering to the floor. "Gibson!" she exclaimed, kneeling down to shake the blue simian. "Gibson? Hal!"

A sinister cackle rang out from the desk chair. It slowly turned around, and reveal something straight out of her nightmares. Sitting in Gibson's chair, was his traitorous, murdering older brother clad in bone armor.

Mandarin.

The skeletal monkey sneered at her, his good eye glittering like a black pebble, cold and hard. "How touching." he said sarcasticly, "You care about the egghead. Such a pity he'll never know that you spent your final moments with the Hyper Force crying over his motionless body." As he casually stood, Celty's body refused to move, her mind completely blank. She watched him approach, forgetting how to breath as a knot of fear formed in her chest. The skull monkey carefully grabbed her upper arm and forced her to stand. Celty gasped at the sight of his left arm. It was robotic like the other monkeys', but the metal was pitch black and the fingers were serrated along the back.

He reached up, and pressed the back of his robotic hand to her cheek. "My master when through so much trouble having his soldiers come and 'escort' you to the palace, and you have the nerve to not only let yourself out before he could speak with you, but to steal his pet out from under his thumb." he said, his voice low made her fur itch. Suddenly, he backhanded her with enough force to send her back several feet, the saw-like edges on his fingers leaving jagged cuts across her cheek.

The pain was enough to jump-start her brain. She scrambled to her feet and bolted. Behind her, Mandarin laughed. "It's useless to run, my little Snowflake." he called after her. "I know this robot inside and out, there's nowhere to hide, and you're all alone."

Thankfully, Gibson's lab was right next to the command center. Celty dashed for the control panel, quickly typed Antauri's signal code, and pressed the speaer button. "Antauri!" she cried. "I need help! It's Manda-!"

A set of metal cables wrapped around her torso and snatched her away from the console. She was slammed into a wall, and fell to the floor, stunned. The skeletal simian cackled at her as the cables retracted back into his robotic arm. "Why my master wants to see you so badly is beyond me." he sneered as he stalked towards her. "You are pathetic-a weakling! Even with your own life hanging in the balance you don't even put up a decent struggle. Perhaps, after he finishes with you, I might have the chance to...play with you." The look on her face, one of shock and horror, made him howl with laughter.

Thinking quickly, Celty rushed past him. But she only got a few steps away before Mandarin launched the cables at her again, this time entangling her legs. She tripped, and fell with a gasp. Mandarin reeled her in like a fish on a hook as she clawed at the floor, fighting to grab ahold of anything that would keep her out of his reach. However, the fruitless attempt just made the insane simian laugh even harder. "Aw, trying to get away?" he teased, "Snowflake, you're hurting my feelings. All I want to do is have a little fun."

He grabbed a handful of the pink fur on her chest and hauled her off the floor, causing her to grunt in pain as his sharp fingers dug into her skin. "Muh-Mandarin, please, don't do this!" she begged, struggling to break his grip. "You were once a member of this team-you were a hero! Please stop this!"

The skeletal simian smirked up at her as he effortlessly held her. "Why would I stop this when I'm having so much fun?" he asked, "Now you can either stop resisting and make this as painless as possible, or keep struggling and I'll make you suffer." He studied her for a long moment, his good eye practically defiling her with it's terrible gaze. "I find it odd that you barely even put up a fight. Surely my brothers have taught you to defend yourself-especially Nova. Or do they hate you as much as they hate me, and just left you to your fate?"

"They don't hate you, Mandarin, and neither do I." she said, a sincerely sad look stole over her candy pink eyes. "I pity you. I pity the thing you've allowed yourself to become, and I pity you for letting your good heart to wither in evil."

Mandarin suddenly threw the female into the nearest wall with all his strength. The room swam before her eyes as she stumbled to her feet. "I don't need, nor want, your pity!" he spat. The skull monkey drew his robotic arm back, and plunged it through her torso. "All I want is to see your pain!"

Celty fell back against the wall, her hand over the wound. Blood gushed between her fingers, running down her stomach and dripping down her leg. Every breath hurt, her muscles burning. Mandarin stalked closer, her blood coating the onyx metal of his robotic arm, the long razor bladed fingers twitching in excitement.

He chuckled at the sight of her trembling with fatigue before him. "I might not be able to kill you, my little Snowflake, but I can make you suffer." he chortled. The skeletal monkey breathed deeply, inhaling the coppery smell that hung in the air. "Ah, the scent of your blood mixed with your fear is intoxicating! A shame that you're white, my dear, I hate to ruin such lovely fur." His chuckled with a broad smirk. "But then again, I can't wait to see you drenched in it!"

The white simian pressed back against the wall, her knees shaking in fear and exhaustion. She was going to die. If Mandarin didn't stop his tormenting the blood loss would end her, if he did, then he'd either kill her himself later...or make her wish for death. The former Hyper Force member raised his jagged claws, his grin revealing his inner insanity.

Unable to continue her struggle, Celty's eyes slid closed weakly. Mandarin cackled at the sight of his quarry submitting. He lowered his hand and cupped her chin tenderly. "Such a good little female you are," he teased, his thumb running over her bottom lip. "Unlike Nova, you know your place. It shall serve you well."

A loud snarl tore through the air, followed by Mandarin's shriek of pain. Celty forced her heavy eyelids open, her vision blurred, but even so she could just make out a black figure standing between her and the skull simian. Mandarin clutched at the slash marks on his chest, blood too dark to be natural dripping onto the floor.

Fang bared his teeth, his incisors longer than usual. He flexed his black-tipped red claws as he growled threateningly at the other male. The black and red simian felt a boiling rage burning his insides, he'd recognize the face of his long time tormentor from the fighting pits in the bone palace anywhere. "You murderous bloody rat!" he roared, his fur standing on end in his wild fury. "I'll kill you for touching what's mine!"

With a vicious snarl he lunged at the other male, slashing wildly. The two monkeys crashed together, shrieking and growling. Blood quickly splattered the floor like spilled paint. Fang's claws caught the skeletal simian across his bad eye, while Mandarin clawed Fang's chest, staining the red fur a darker shade.

Seeing that Fang was beginning to get the upper hand, Mandarin launched the cables from his arm. They shot out and coiled around the black and red male, trapping his limbs in a tangle of metal. The skull monkey cackled insanely. "You might have had the advantage now after the experiements, but you're still no match for me, mutt." he sneered. "You may think you're some great killer, but you're going to die like the dog you are!"

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Celty. She was about to watch Fang be killed. Her body moved on it's own account, propelling her towards the skeletal simian, the palms of her hands glowing bright pink. The words of the grimoire flashing in her mind's eye. "**Insusurro defectus occaeco fulmino**!" she chanted, her palms slamming into Mandarin's back. "**Expio malefactor**!" Energy crackled in the air around them seconds before electricity coursed through their bodies.

Mandarin screeched, lightening sizzling through his veins, his body completely aglow with pink energy. Celty screamed just as loud, feeling like something was tearing her heart right out of her chest. The blood flowing from her injury splashed onto the floor. Fang struggled against his bonds, desperate to free himself and get to the female.

As the light faded, the other monkeys streamed into the room. Sparx blasted Mandarin in the back, sending him into the far wall. Nova rushed to Celty as the white female crumpled to the bloody floor, while Otto cut Fang free as Antauri stood protectively between the others and the skull monkey with the red polit.

Pink electricity arced from Mandarin's armor as he forced himself to stand, his eyes wide with disbelieve, and surprisingly, terror. He'd felt that pain before, that exact agony, and it had only come from one person. "That's impossible," he said, his voice started out soft, and then rose as he turned and screeched at Celty. "It's not possible! She's dead! Even you Hyper Force saw her demise!"

"What're you yaking about, Mandarin?" snapped Sparx. "Who'd we see die?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" he shrieked, "She's not some random human, she's-!" The skull monkey's hands flew to his throat, and he sank to his knees with a choking noise. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed. The pink energy that had been crackling off his armor encased his entire body, hiding his figure from sight with a blinding flash.

The monkeys covered their eyes against the light. When it died down, it disappeared instantly. Antauri was the first to risk opening his eyes, what he saw made no sense. There, laying on the floor, was the Mandarin who'd first lead the Hyper Force. It was the Madarin he had once called brother. No trace of the skeletal simian remained, only the original orange cybernetic monkey.

"How...how is this possible?" breathed the silver simian.

"Antauri!" cried Nova. She was using her Robo-Fist to try to stem the bleeding, but the crimson fluid continued to flow. "It won't stop!"

The shock was quickly pushed to the back of the SIC's mind. "Get her to sickbay-hurry! Otto, go with Nova, help her carry Celty." he ordered, "Sparx, you and I will take Mandarin to the holding cell. Use your magnets-we don't know if whatever did this to him it still in effect."

His orders were immediately carried out. Fang grabbed Celty from Nova and Otto. "I'll take her-just get moving!" he snapped. The three ran to sickbay, Chiro was already inside with Gibson, the blue monkey was holding a bag of ice against the side of his head. However the moment he saw the injured female he immediately went into a frenzy of work.

"Get her on a table!" he instructed, "Otto, come help me with this!"

The sickbay became a flurry of activity. Machines turned on, scanners whirled, monkeys rushed back and forth. However, all the noise and excitement went completely unheard or seen by the white female. The world around her faded rhythmically in and out of a black tunnel. An alarm signaled her distress. "She's going under!" Gibson exclaimed. "We can't let her lose consciousness until we know she's stable! Someone start talking to her-don't let her fall asleep!"

Nova touched Fang's shoulder to get his attention. "You should do it." she said, "She trusts you to keep her safe."

He nodded, and moved to the head of the table. He leaned over her, bracing his arms on either side of her head, making sure that he had all of her attention. "Look at me, Celty." he ordered softly. Her gaze lazily found his, her eyelids drooping slightly. "Listen to me, you need to stay awake. You hear me? Don't you dare close your eyes."

"But I'm...so tired." she whispered, her eyes sliding shut.

Fang slammed his hands down on the table, causing her to jump. "Don't you dare die!" he snarled, digging his claws into the metal of the table. "I can't fight death for you." He carefully rested his hand on her uncut cheek. "Talk to me, tell me anything you want-just stay with me. You told me before that you made up those little verses all the time. Well make one up, or tell me your favorite one. But stay awake!"

She was silently for a moment, her gaze flickering around as she tried to recall one verse in particular. "I think...I know a...good one." she breathed. "From a...distance, I watched...the eagle take flight. From... afar, I saw the...wolf racing through the snow. From across the...way, I glimpsed a...rose in bloom. I am one on the outside. I see all, but...never feel it."

Gibson exhaled in relief as he analyzed the data on the monitor. "Thank heaven, she'll be fine." he announced, "The injury isn't life-threatening, although she'll need quite a few stitches." He gently rested a hand on the white female's shoulder. "I'll sedate you and give you some painkillers. Try to get some rest, Celty."

Almost instantly, her eyes closed, the tenstion in her body draining away. "I'll have to ask everyone to step out." said Gibson as he moved to the medicine cabinet. He searched through the rows of glass bottles for the two he was looking for, then grabbed a pair of syringes. "This'll take extreme concentration, and I'd prefere to not have anyone breathing down the back of my neck."

Chiro nodded, looking a little pale in the face. "Gibson's right. Let's let him do what he has to do." he said, "Besides, it's been a long day. Everyone should retire to their room, I'll go check on Antauri and Sparx, and find out what's going on."

Nova and Otto followed the human out of the room, but Fang lingered for a moment longer. He briefly rested his tail against her cheek, and touched the back of her hand. Then he too left the room.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

She was so tired, completely exhausted, but the pain would no longer allow her to sleep. The drug in her system made her body heavy with fatigue, but did little for the pain. The stab wound pulsed agonizingly with each beat of her heart. It seemed to swell somehow, like it was stretching her body apart from the inside. It felt as if there was a flaming arrow shaft piercing through her flesh, a tunnel of fire ablaze within her.

Celty lay on her uninjured side, trying to remain as still as possible, bandages wrapped snuggly around her torso. She begged and prayed for sleep to take her, to numb her body and mind against the searing torment of reality. But the minutes ticked by agonizingly slow, and the white simian remained trapped in a state somewhere between full awakeness, and a doze. A painful shudder crashed through her, she could only manage a soft squeak of discomfort and the tears flowed uncontrollably from her tightly closed eyes.

Suddenly, something gently brushed across her cheek, carefully wiping her tears away. The female wanted to open her eyes and see who it was, but her heavy eyelids refused to budge. A hand slid under her shoulder, another under her thigh, and she was slowly turned onto her back before being lifted off the medical table. She felt herself being carried out of sickbay. Her 'kidnapper' moved silently through the halls, and seemed to know where they were going.

A rich scent teased at her nose, the smell was like that of coffee. Relief flooded her, she knew who was holding her now. "Fang," she breathed, her voice barely audible.

"Shh," he hushed, "Go back to sleep. Everything's gonna be fine now, just rest." She felt him setting her down, the soft mattress of her bed cradled her aching body. A pitiful whimper escaped her as another jolt swept through her. Fang crawled up quietly beside her, he carefully pushed the bandages up to reveal her wound and brushed back the fur around the injury.

Celty gritted her teeth against the painful shock of a simple touch. "Celty," he said, a strange rumbling sound filling his voice. "Do you remember how back in the hide-out I asked you to trust me not to hurt you any more than what was absolutely necessary? Do you still trust me to do that?" Unable to force out all the words she wanted to say, Celty had to settle for a soft 'Yeah,'. Fang nodded, "Then be still," he instructed, "This is going to hurt."

The female gasped when his lips touched her flesh, and trembled as his tongue slid over the wound. The relief was instant. Just as the times he'd groomed her wounds before, Celty's body became limp under his mouth's administration. But other the the occasional pinch, she felt no real pain. "Fang?" she whispered weakly.

"Shh," he shushed into her fur, his cool breath raising goosebumps on her skin. "I know it hurts, but it'll heal faster this way. Just relax."

"But it doesn't hurt." she mumbled. She felt him pause in his cleaning, and raise his head. Celty heard him shifting, and his breath was suddenly touching her cheek. His tongue glided over the cuts from her jawline to the corner of her mouth.

"Did that hurt?" he asked in a low voice. When the female slowly shook her head, he lightly scraped the corner of her mouth with his teeth. "Does that hurt?" Again she shook her head. So many different thoughts and questions swirled around in his mind. But not one single answer. Feeling at a loss, Fang gently replaced the bandages before turning the female onto her side, and settled down beside her. He pulled the blanket up to her chin to keep her warm, and propped himself up on an elbow, his eyes watching the door.

He listened to Celty's quiet breathing in the darkness, feeling her shudder occasionally. The heat radiating from her body as they sat pressed close together began seeping into his fur. Although it still puzzled him, Fang craved that warmth. Only her body heat seemed to remove the permafrost chill within him. That, and her hot blood. He briefly closed his eyes in the dark, remembering his first taste of the white female. Her blood had been scorching hot on his tongue, and filled his mouth with the taste of iron.

Over time, he'd tasted the life's nectar of many others in the fighting pits. But even though he'd enjoyed the taste somewhat, none had ever given him such a high as Celty's. With her's he felt a ball of heat burningat his core, pulsing in time with his heart. It made him feel powerful, unstoppable, and strangest of all, possessive. Fang didn't like not understanding these feelings. They were alien to him, and confused him.

Why would he feel possessive over her? Was it because she was weak? Or because she was female? Maybe because she trusted him when no one else would? He wasn't sure, and thinking about it only lead his mind around in circles.

The male shook his head to banish the thoughts, and instead focused on the task at hand: guard duty. With Mandarin still breathing, he wasn't going to take any chances. Especially when the orange monkey was in a holding cell inside the robot. He gently rested his chin on the female's shoulder, and waited for morning.


	5. Aftermath

Blood and Magic

By Princess Thil Galel

I DO NOT OWN

Thank you

R&R

Please Enjoy

Aftermath

A huge yawn spilt from Gibson's mouth. Once again, his heavy eyelids drooped shut, only to snap back open a second later. "You've been up all time?" came Antauri's voice. The blue scientist turned to glance briefly over his shoulder as the SIC walked into the lab. "You really should get some rest, Gibson."

"I could say the same thing to you as well." he replied, "You were up all night interrogating Mandarin after he finally regained consciousness. Did you manage to get any information out of him?"

The silver simian shook his head. "No, it's the oddest thing. He didn't recognize me, but he knew Sparx. Yet he seemed confused when we questioned him about anything during the time period just before and after his initial betrayal." he replied, and folded his arms with a frown. "It's as if all those past incidents never happened. What's stranger is that he doesn't even remember how he came by his black metal arm. Nor how I became fully robotic."

Gibson paused a moment, deep in thought. Then he began typing furiously at the keys. The surveillance video from yesterday's battle appeared on the screen. Together they watched the struggle, and when Celty slammed her palms into the skull monkey's back, Gibson froze the image. "There! I think I might understand what happened now." he said. The scientist hurried to the book shelf in the back of his lab and skimmed the rows of spines for the one he was seeking. "Ah, here it is." He pulled the spell book off the shelf and immediately realized it had recently been read by the lack of dust on it's cover.

Antauri joined him at the shelf and glanced at the grimoire. "You believe she used a spell from your tome?"

The scientist rubbed the side of his throbbing head, trying to banish the pain growing behind his eyes. "It's possible. I've done research on the subject of magic in the grimoire. It states that anyone can use the spells in the book while in possession of it, but only someone with a 'magical aura' can use them when the tome isn't present." he said. He sighed and returned to his chair, giving up on attempting to ease his headach. "Magic is unlike anything else-so much of it seems unrealistic but is actually true. It's an utter paradox, really, and nothing I can explain for sure. But what about what Mandarin said before he collapsed? Do you think we really knew Celty before she became a monkey? And if so, why was he afraid of her?"

The silver simian sighed quietly, and shook his head. "I'm afraid I just don't know, Gibson. At this point, you're guess is as good as mine." he replied. "For now, all we can do is keep Mandarin in lock-up, and help Celty as much as we can."

A sullen look stole over Gibson's face. "She went to make us lunch, just like she always does." he murmured softly, "If I had convinced her not to trouble herself, she might not have been able to hold him off long enough for the team to make it back. But how exactly did Fang get here so fast? The rest of you took several more minutes to arrive."

"Celty somehow managed to contact me, and when I alerted the team to her distress, Fang ran off as if demons were biting at his heels." said Antauri, "I've never seen any creature our size run at such a speed. It was almost unnatural."

"Well I can tell you something that wasn't unnatural-Mandarin's strike." Gibson said, pulling up a 3-D image of Celty's body on the screen. The outter layer of flesh disappeared to reveal the full inner and outter extent of the injury. "The wound is too precise to have been a simple lucky blow. He purposefully stabbed her at just the right angle to cause intense pain, but not kill her. He wanted to take her alive, for whatever reason."

Antauri studied the image with going concern. "That notion is immensely disturbing." he mumbled. There was more to the whole situation than he had originally thought.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Nova made her way to Celty's room, holding a lime green drink in her hands. She hadn't been able to sleep well last night, her thoughts kept going back to the other female. Her white fur dyed red with her own blood. A chill ran up the golden warrior's spine, prickling her fur. Celty had thought she was going to die in Nova's arms, and she had apologized to her. It had nearly been too much for yellow simian. To hear the girl she'd become close friends with saying she was sorry for bleeding to death in her embrace.

She held the drink close, the ice clicking in the glass. Nova had seen death before, and she'd felt the saddness that came with it, but she'd never experienced such fear for someone's live. She'd been scared that she'd lose her right there on the floor.

Celty was the first girl she'd ever bonded with, Nova felt like she was her sister in some way. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her only sister-especially not to her traitorous older brother. 'I should have been more persistent in getting her to learn how to fight.' she thought guiltily, 'Maybe, if I had, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. Maybe she wouldn't have almost died.'

The sunshine colored female quietly knocked of Celty's door before opening it. A threatening growl was the first thing that greeted her, causing her to take a step back in surprise. From within the dark room a pair of red eyes stared out at her. It took her a moment to realize that it was Fang. She'd forgotten he was sharing Celty's room. "It's just me, Fang." she said, keeping her voice soft as to not disturb the slumbering female in the bed beside the male. "I came to see Celty, and give her this."

Fang glanced at the drink in her hands, then down at the female beside him. He looked back to Nova, and nodded, giving her permission to enter. The golden monkey slowly turned the lights on dimly, the male blinked rapidly to help his eyes adjust to the change in light as Nova moved to stand beside the bed. She gently placed a hand on Celty's shoulder. "Celty? Wake up, I've got something for you." she coaxed.

A soft groan escaped the white simian, her eyes creeping open. "N...Nova?" she mumbled tiredly, "Is it time to get up already?"

"No, I just need you to sit up for a minute. I brought you something to drink." replied Nova. Celty slowly rolled onto her back gritting her teeth against the waves of pain coursing through her. Fang slid a hand under her, carefully lifting her as Nova placed a pillow behind her. "So how are you feeling?"

Celty managed a smile. "Well, I woke up. So I guess it's a good day." she murmured, "And I always try to be happy on a good day." She felt Fang slip his hand behind her head to help give it some support. "But I'm so tired, Nova, and every part of my body throbs each time my heart beats. A bit cruel, ain't it? That the one thing keeping me alive is hurting me?"

"Enough," said Fang, "You don't need to be talking right now. Just take your drink and go back to sleep."

The white monkey gave a soft, breathy laugh. "Sorry, must be the pain-killers." she said.

Nova chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah, well, they'll do that. If you're not use to them, they'll make ya' feel a little loopy." she said, and held the glass to Celty's lips. "Gibson says you'll need to drink a lot of fluids to replace the blood you've lost. The more sugar, the better."

Celty sipped at the lime green liquid, a tart and sweet taste flooded her mouth. It didn't taste nasty like she had expected it to, in fact she actually liked it. "Hmm, makes me think of kiwi and strawberry punch." said the white female, licking her lips as Nova took the half empty glass away. "It's pretty good. What is it?"

"It's a special drink I learned to make during my training with Master Offay." said Nova, "It's called Mach-drink of the warrior. The recipe is a secret, only those who've completed their training as a warrior and have survived being wounded in battle know how to make it."

The white female looked up at Nova with worried, tired eyes. "Hey, Nova?" she asked in a small voice. "How is he? How's Mandarin?"

Before Nova could even answer, Fang growled. "You're concerned for him?" he snapped, "He stabbed you, Celty. You could have died because of him-and you're worried about him?"

She winced at his raised tone, feeling his hand tighten on the back of her head. "I don't expect you to understand, or for anyone else to." she said, "But he wasn't in his right mind. He was absolutely insane-out of balance. I know that if he had been of clear judgement, Mandarin wouldn't have done what he did." Her eyes turned down to the foot of the bed, an unreadable look on her face. "Besides, I'm sure he's regretting everything by now."

Nova frowed in confusion. "Why?" she asked, "What exactly did you do to him?"

Celty closed her eyes tiredly. Exhaustion tugging her back to sleep, her breathing already becoming wheezy. Fang rumbled softly, and turned her onto her side with a huff. "I knew she was too tired for this." he murmured to himself. Then he looked to Nova. "You should go now, and let her rest." She glanced down at the white female and nodded. But as she reached the door, Fang cleared his throat to get her attention. "Thank you, Nova, for bringing that for her."

She smiled at him over her shoulder. "Your welcome." she replied. "Ya' know, you don't have to be a stranger, Fang. I'd love to get to know you some more."

"That's going to have to wait. Until Celty's back on her feet I'll be staying here." he stated.

"Antauri wants us all to take shifts watching out for Celty." said Nova, "He wants everyone to help out, and not leave all this on your shoulders."

The male snorted. "Of course that's his excuse." he growled. "I'll trust you to look after her, but the others can forget about it. If one of them steps foot in this room without my consent I'll shred their hides like a cat claws carpet." To emphasize his point, Fang unsheathed his Blood Claws. A shiver of unease crawled down Nova's spine as she nodded and backed out of the room.

When the door closed, one thought ran through the yellow female's mind. Under normal circumstances, Fang was rather mild. But once Celty was added into the mix, he became especially dangerous. She wasn't sure why that was, yet she did know that he would kill someone if he said he would. Saying what he means, and meaning what he says.

As she headed for the kitchen, she also remembered the tenderness with which he had turned Celty onto her side. It didn't make much sense. Why would he take it solely upon himself to help Celty recover? She'd have to speak with Antauri about it later. Maybe he could shed some light on the subject.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Mandarin sat against the back wall of his holding cell, forearms propped up on his knees as he rest his chin on them. His eyes stared at his reflection in the onyx metal of his left arm. The limb felt alien to him. It wasn't his own, and yet it was attached to his body.

He lifted his arm, gazing at the gleaming shine the metal gave off and the razor sharp tips of his fingers. In the serrated teeth on the back of his fingers, he could see dried blood there. What was going on? What had happened to him?

"Mandarin,"

The orange monkey looked up, nervously hiding his arm behind his back. Standing on the other side of the energy bars, was his sunshine colored sister, Nova. They stared back at each other for a long silent moment. Mandarin felt a sudden rush of relief and hopefulness filled him. "Nova, It's you!" he exclaimed. He leaped to his feet and rushed to the bars, standing so close to them that he could feel the hum of energy they gave off. "I can't believe it's you! You don't know how happy I am to see you!"

"...I'm not sure how I feel about seeing you." she murmured quietly, folding her arms over her chest. "The last time we saw each other, you tried to kill me."

She watched silently as his eyes went wide with shock, then narrowed into an angry expression that held no real heat. "I don't know what kind of sick pleasure the five of you are getting out of this, but it's gone far enough!" he snapped, his face crumbling with despair. "Please, Nova, I'm begging you. Just stop this. It isn't funny!"

The golden warrior found herself biting her lip. He sounded so much like the old Mandarin she'd loved, it was hard to watch that monkey suffering. But was this really the same simian she had once called brother? She just wasn't sure. "It's not a joke, Mandarin. You betrayed us, and fought for Skeleton King." she replied, "How can you not remember any of that?"

He let his head fall, his chin touching his white breast. "I don't know-I just don't know!" he said, staring down at his black hand. "All I remember is fighting side by side with my brothers, defending the city. I can't-I just don't know about any of this!" He fell to his knees, a single tear rolled down his cheek, and fell to the floor.

It was unbearable for Nova to see someone she had always thought so strong to be brought to his knees in such a way. Kneeling down, she stuck her hand through the energy bars, offering the small silver box she'd been holding. "Here," she said, "I brought you something to eat. Sorry this is all I can offer, nothing else'll fit through the bars."

He reached for it, then stopped. The black tips of his left hand trembled as they hovered above the container. Slowly he pulled his hand away and stared down into his mirror-like palm. "Where did this come from, Nova?" he asked.

"We...we think Skeleton King gave it to you."

Mandarin stared at his hand for another silent moment, then took the box with his right hand. "Thank you, Dearest Nova." he murmured, popping the lid off the box and placing one of the small orange gummies on his tongue. He chewed slowly, a thoughtful, sullen look crossing his face. "You called me 'Mandarin'."

"Well, that is your name." she stated.

"You use to call me Darin," he said quietly, "Or even Dare sometimes, when you were upset with me. Do you hate me enough now that that doesn't matter anymore?"

Nova swallowed, hugging herself slightly as she glanced away. "I've never hated you, not even when you turned on us." she mumbled sadly, "You're my brother. I couldn't hate you...even if I wanted to sometimes, after the things you did. No matter what you did, or became, I still loved you...Darin." She reached through the bars again, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I want to believe that you're my Darin again, but I just can't do that just yet. I honestly hope you are back to the way you were before."

His smile barely curled the corners of his mouth as he rested his hand over her's, immediately regretting that it was his left hand.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Fang had proven himself to be perfectly serious about his threat towards the other. For three full days he guarded the door to Celty's room, never letting anyone to see the white female besides Nova, and after some consideration, Gibson-but only for daily check-ups and a shot of pain-killers. Otto had been completely chased off by a mere snarl, while Sparx kept pressing his luck by poking his head inside at least every two hours. Antauri was banned completely, receiving a glare that could kill for simply asking Celty how she was feeling from the doorway.

Celty had slept through most of the first two days, but had remained awake for the third day, only taking a short nap in the afternoon. Fang kept her constantly under his watch. When she was awake, he'd sit on the floor with his back leaning against the side of the bed. When she was asleep, he'd lay down at her back and rest his chin on her shoulder. She was always aware of his presence, no matter where he was in the room.

"Hey, Fang?" she asked, "Could you bring me my sketchbook, please?" He glanced over his shoulder briefly, then set the baseball he'd been messing with on the floor and retrieved her sketchbook and the box filled with her drawing supplies. She accepted them with a thank you, and flipped to her unfinished sketch, while Fang returned to his seat on the floor. He tossed the red stitched ball into the air with a look of consentration, then allowing it to fall back into his hand.

She paused a moment, quietly observing him. "Ya' know, you don't have to sit in here all day." she said, "You could always go toss the ball around with Otto...and possibly apologize for freaking him out."

He snorted. "I'm not sorry for it, so I'm not going to apologize." he stated, throwing the baseball nearly up to the ceiling. "Besides, if I'm not here, who's going to keep you from dying of boredom?"

"I'm already dying of boredom!" she yelled, tossing her hands up, wincing at the pinch the action brought. But she smiled anyway, and chuckled. "Seriously, you don't have to babysit me. I'm hurt, not helpless."

The male rolled his eyes. "More like both," he mumbled. A pillow suddenly hit the back on his head. He turned to look back at her, but she was working on her drawing and trying to hide a playful smile. Fang went back to tossing his ball, alternating between catching it with his tail and his hand. "You shouldn't be so tender-skinned. If it's the truth, it's the truth. Don't like it, then change it."

Celty's pencil stopped in mid-line. Slowly, she rested it on the paper. "Sorry for hitting you." she murmured.

He glanced back at her, and raised a brow, then shook his head. "I may never understand you." he commented.

She smirked and spread her hands. "As Antauri once said, women are the greatest mystery of the universe." she commented. Fang growled at the mere mention of the silver monkey's name. Celty's face fell. "I get the feeling you don't really like Antauri. Fang, you're going to have to learn that there's a difference between foe and friend. Antauri's my friend, and I'm sure he wants to be your friend as well. You just have to let your walls down."

The male snorted, shaking his head. "The last thing I'll be doing is letting my defences fall." he scoffed, letting the ball roll out of his hand and drop to the floor. He glanced over his shoulder, Celty had gone back to her drawing. Deciding that what she was doing was more interesting, he silently stood up and peered over her shoulder. What he saw made him raise a brow. "You're drawing me?"

Celty reflexively slapped her hand down over the picture to hide it from sight. "Wha-what? No-no I-I..." she stammered, then huffed and moved her hand aside cautiously. "Yes, I'm drawing you." She felt her cheeks burn as he studied the paper sitting in her lap. It became even worse when he gave her a crooked smirk, flashing his fangs.

"Why'd you choose that pose?" he asked, the tiniest hint of humor in his voice.

She glanced down at the paper. In the image, Fang was prowling towards the viewer on all fours with a smirk similar to the one he was currently sporting. From that angle his face and arms took up most of the image, while his tail and lower back were only slightly visible. "W-well, you said you were built to be a predator, a-and I started thinking about a way to draw you and...this is what came out." she mumbled nervously, her white face turning redder with every word. "So, uh, wha-what do ya' think?"

He didn't say anything, instead he studied the page in silence. The male tilted his head slightly, the corners of his lips curling. "I like it." he replied, then leaned in closer, squinting slightly. "Are my canines really that big?" He touched the tips of his incisors experimentally and frowned in consentration.

Celty giggled behind her hand, her cheeks a bright pink. "It's just the angle I drew it from." she laughed, then gave him a mischievous sideways grin. "Plus you do have a strong smile. If only you'd show it off a little more, then the size of your teeth wouldn't surprise you. But, then again, you bare your fangs enough that it was easy to guess their length anyway." He let out a thoughtful rumble and lightly scratched his cheek. Celty's eyes were drawn to his claws. She briefly remembered catching glimpses of his claws during the fight, but they had been red and the tips had turned black. "Hey, Fang?" she murmured, "Can I...can I see your claws?"

The black and red simian raised a brow questioningly, but held his hand out to the female. She gave him a shy smile. "I meant the other set." He pulled his hand away with a slight frown, and with a flick of his wrist, he activated his transformer. Slowly, and somewhat cautiously, he offered out his hand once more. Celty carefully cupped the back of his hand, and traced her fingers across his palm. Her touch roamed up to the black tips of his claws, tentatively testing the sharpness. However, she wasn't cautious enough. As she slid her thumb over his index claw, the dark tip scratched her. "Ow, those are sharp." she mumbled, rubbing her thumb against her other fingers. When she checked her thumb she expected to see a mere scrape on the metal. But instead she found a red streak. "That doesn't make any sense, my hand is metal. How could it bleed?"

Fang took her hand in his and ran his tongue over her scratched thumb. "It's not blood, it's a discoloration caused by acid." he explained. When he showed Celty her thumb, the mark was gone. "My transformers are called Blood Claws-named so because the low-level acid coating them leaves red marks on whatever I scratch. Not only does it make it easier to spot my target if it tries to escape, I can also track the scent of the acid, and if someone believes they're bleeding like you did it strikes fear into them. Fear makes you make mistakes, that's why you should always keep a clear head in battle."

"Must everything come back to fighting?" she asked tiredly, leaning back into her pillow. "I'd really not like to talk about it-especially after all this."

He rumbled as he sheathed his claws. "Understandable, but irrelevant." he replied, "Fighting isn't just protecting yourself, it's a survival skill. You'll die without it." The male crossed to the light switch and flicked off the light. He crawled onto the bed, moving behind her Fang carefully turned her onto her side, and set his chin on her shoulder. "It's late, go to sleep."

She sighed softly. "I could have turned myself over, you know. You didn't have to do that."

"And risk letting you aggravate your injures? I think not." he scoffed, "Now be quiet and do as I said."

Celty let out a silent breath, and let her body sink more fully into the mattress. She snuggled her cheek in the pillow, inhaling the scents it released. Now not only was her scent present, but Fang's as well. It was unusually comforting, smelling him on her bed-clothes, yet she couldn't deny she liked the way he smelled. A mixed aroma of coffee, and a strange heavy scent, something that made her think 'male'. "Are you going to stay up all night again?" she asked quietly in the dark. She reached up with a hand and ran her fingertips over his cheek.

The male jerked his head away, breaking contact with her hand. In the dark he could see the hurt look in her eyes as she stared back at him without seeing him. "I still don't feel comfortable with someone touching me." he said with a slight growl. Celty suddenly hissed in discomfort as she forced herself to turn over. Fang instinctively growled, flashing his teeth. "I told you not to move!"

She ignored his snap and reached out blindly, her hand finding it's way to the splash of red on his chest. He stiffened under her fingers, his fur bristling as a small electric shock passed through him. "You trusted me to get you away from Skeleton King-the only life you've ever known. Yet you don't trust me enough to touch you?" she said, "Every night for three nights now, you've sat up all night watching over me. Don't pretend that you don't-I'm hurt not stupid!" In the shadows, tears glittered in her candy pink eyes, and her fingers curled in his pelt. "It would have hurt less if you'd slapped me."

Without another word, she turned her back to him and pulled the blanket up over her head. Fang sat in the dark, confused by the reaction he'd received. How could him not wanting to be touched hurt her worse than a slap? He could hear her choking back quiet sobs as she buried her face in the pillow, her body trembling beside him on the bed. The male gritted his teeth, he hated hearing those sounds she made when she cried. He'd hear her crying in her sleep in the middle of the night, begging for something or someone to stop. Stop what he didn't know, but from the noises he knew the dreams terrified her.

He did know, however, what caused them. The nightmares hadn't started until after Mandarin had attacked. The orange male had started it all. Anger flared to life inside him. Mandarin was to blame for everything. If he hadn't attacked Celty, he wouldn't have had to watch over her. If he hadn't had to watch over her, then she wouldn't have tried to touch him. Another male had caused a disturbance in his territory.

He wasn't going to stand for that.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Fang stared between the energy bars of the holding cell, his shadow falling over the pitiful orange simian huddled against the back wall. An angry snarl formed in his throat, causing his lips to draw back and reveal his sharp teeth. He slammed his fist onto the de-activation button and watched as the bars vanished.

The orange monkey didn't move as he stormed up to him. "Get up." ordered Fang. Mandarin didn't so much as flinch. With a furious snarl, Fang smashed his fist into the side of his helmet. "I said get up, you bloody rat!" The orange monkey remained where he was, tenderly cradling the side of his head. Gritting his sharp teeth in rage, Fang grabbed a fistful of the white patch of fur on the other male's chest and banged him against the wall. "Look at me flith!" he snarled, "Look me in the eye-I want to watch the life drain from your eyes. I want you to see who kills you!"

Mandarin's eyes slowly opened, but he didn't glare back at the black and red simian threatening his life. Instead, the look in those eyes were mournful and filled with regret. "Do as you will to me." he said, "There is no pain greater than the one within my soul. I cannot bare this shame any longer."

Fang growled as he drew back his free hand, preparing his claws for a death blow. "Then allow me to put you out of your miserable existance!" he snarled.

An arm suddenly wrapped his neck in a choke hold, a hand fisted in his chest fur, and a tail coiled around his wrist. "Don't do it!" he heard Celty sob. "Please Fang, please don't do it. Don't kill him!"

He silently cursed, and tried to carefully shake her off. "Let go, and get out of here." he ordered. She made a pain filled sound that caused him to freeze, he couldn't be rough on those wounds, and she was using that fact to her advantage. At that moment, he hated how clever she was.

Celty trembled weakly against him. She had barely managed to follow Fang, know there was only one place he'd be going growling and snarling the way he'd been. Her injuries throbbed painfully, but she wasn't going to back down. "I can't let you do this, Fang." she declared, "I won't let you!"

"He's a traitor, Celty!" he snapped, "He once tried to kill his own brothers, he nearly killed me in those fighting pits-he almost killed you! How can you not be sick just breathing the same air as him?"

Her arms suddenly lost all strength, her knees hit the floor. The sound of liquid dripping made Fang look back at the collapsed female. The bandages coiled around her torso were soaked through, and her blood was pooling on the floor. Fang cursed as he dropped Mandarin like a rock, and gathered the white simian up in his arms. "Stupid female," he murmured, "You shouldn't have left the bed-much less the room. Now you've torn your stitches."

Fang carried her out of the cell, turning the bars back on with a flick of his tail, and gently set her down against the wall. Using his claws, he cut through the linen. He peeled the wrapping back to reveal the wound. Thankfully, only two stitches had ripped. "It's not that bad," he stated, "I'll take you back to Gibson, right after I finish my business here." The male turned as he stood, but when he went to go back into the cell, Celty grabbed his tail. A furious snarl erupted from his throat as he spun around. "Let go." he snapped.

She shook her head, keeping a firm grip on his tail. "No, I'm not letting go, Fang." she said. "I'm not gonna look away either. I'll watch you, I'll remember every second of what you do next for the rest of my life, Fang. Show me how you want me to see you. Show me who you are." The male growled, flashing his teeth in an attempt to make her back down, but she only continued to give him a hard look.

Shaking in pure fury, Fang slammed his fist into the wall an inch from her head, creating a dent in the metal. "Why are you doing this?" he hissed, "What is it that you want?" She had flinched when he'd hit the wall, and again at his tone. Now, as she looked at him with those big, innocent, candy colored eyes, tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"I don't want you to be like him," she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut to try holding back her tears, but they continued to fall. "I don't want what happened to Mandarin to happen to you!" She hung her head low as she cried softly, ashamed that he had once again wtnessed how truly weak she was.

Something squirmed uncomfortably within Fang's chest, replacing her anger. He didn't like this feeling that came over him whenever he saw her tears. He had to make her stop. Stop crying, stop hurting, and stop beating herself up. Fang tilted her chin, and wiped her cheek with the back of his hand. "Quite crying," he said, "I won't kill him. Just-just stop." Celty swallowed back the sob building in her throat and pressed her cheek against his hand.

She winced as her injury gave another stab of pain. Seeing the obvious suffering the popped stitches were putting her through, Fang picked the female up once more, and after casting on last threatening growl at the orange simian in the cell, he carried her in the direction of the sickbay.

In his arms, Celty wasn't just resting against him, she was cuddling him. She'd wrapped her arm around his neck and teased invisible shapes into the splash of red on his chest. He didn't mind, but he'd never admit that it felt nice. She pressed her muzzle into his fur, and gently breathed warm air against his skin. His steps faltered slightly as she felt him shudder. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

He nodded silently, keeping his focused straight ahead. Fang felt his fur bristling as he repressed a shudder crawling up his spine. He enjoyed that far too much.


	6. Correcting the inner balance

Blood and Magic

By Princess Thil Galel

I DO NOT OWN

Thank you

R&R

Please Enjoy

Correcting the inner balance

'I'm shaking, I'm just so nervous.' thought the white simian. Standing outside of the holding cell, Celty felt a tremor tingle along her spine. She licked her dry lips as she took a calming breath, but her heart still fluttered in her chest, threatening to unleash an attack at any moment. The female pressed a palm hard against her chest, willing the swell within her to disperse. 'Relax Celty, just keep breathing. You can do this.' Releasing a withheld breath, the female de-activated the energy bars.

The orange male stared at the floor, never raising his eyes as she approached him. A moment of still silence stretched between them, neither bringing themselves to talk. With a pounding heart and aching injuries, Celty was the first to speak. "Good morning, Mandarin." she said softly.

"There is nothing good about this morning," he murmured without raising his head, "Because I awoke, this can only be a terrible day."

Celty's heart ached at his statement. She hated to think that he believed he was only worthy of death. He looked like a mess. His was fur ungroomed, dirty, dull, and tangled. His eyes held no shine, and stared blankly at the floor. As she studied him, his stomach gave an audible growl. "Nova says you haven't eaten in nearly a week." she commented, "Care to tell me why that is?"

"Nourishment of any kind is wasted on this body." he replied, his voice thick with fatigue.

She rested a hand atop his head, stroking her thumb across his brow. His dull eyes finally glanced up at her. "Mandarin, this has gone on long enough." she said quietly, "It's time to put the past behind you, and move on."

The female grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. She placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, a kind smile on her lips. "It'll be hard going for a while, I can tell you that right now. But that doesn't mean that things won't get better." she said, and lifted his chin to meet his eyes. "I know it feels like you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I'll help walk you there, one step at a time."

He pulled away from her, covering his face with his hand. His body shaking as he bit down on his lip till it bled. "How can you say that? With those cuts still fresh on your face, how can you say that?" he exclaimed, falling to his knees. "I can't take this anymore. I just want everything to end. Please, if you really want to help me...you'll just kill me now."

The sudden sharp sting of a slap across the face sent the orange male onto the floor. Celty stood over him, her expression twisted in anger. "Don't you say that. Don't you EVER say that again!" she snapped. "NOTHING is worth throwing your life away! It's hard and it hurts, you think I don't know that? But it isn't without hope, and what you're doing is taking the coward's way out. You have to fight back and beat this-not lay down and die!"

Mandarin tenderly touched his reddening cheek, the hit leaving a mark in the shape of her hand. "But they'll never trust me again...I barely trust myself." he muttered, glancing at his black arm. "How is it that...you can put all that's happened behind you-just like that-and then try to help me?"

Her face softened as she knelt beside him. She gently rubbed the cheek she'd slapped, easying the discomfort her hand had caused. "Sorry I got carried away there. But I can't leave someone alone in the dark to rot in the negative feelings they're harboring." said the female, "Everything's gonna be okay. You'll see."

"But I don't understand," he said, "Why are you helping me?"

Celty smiled softly and, turning his head slightly, placed a kiss on his cheek. He looked at her, eyes wide and jaw dropped. "Everyone deserves a second chance, and no sin is unforgivable if the sinner truly repents." she replied. "Besides, I love making friends. And your brothers and sister are already like family to me, that makes you family too."

He turned his head away, a deep seeded saddness in his eyes. The male didn't know whether or not he fully believed her faith in him was justified. Or if his brothers and siter would truly ever forgive him. But she was right about one thing, simply letting himself waste away was a dishonorable way to die. He placed a hand over his stomach as it growled demandingly again.

The female giggled behind her hand. "I'll go get you some lunch." she said, then placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll talk to the other tonight. Everything's gonna be alright now, just have faith and trust in yourself, and in me. And don't be afraid to try."

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

When Celty walked into the kitchen she froze in the doorway. Sitting at the table, was Fang. The black and red male looked like he'd been waiting for her to show up. His chair was turned to face the door, his arm slung casually over the back, one ankle propped up on the other. Their eyes met only for the briefest moment, then the female ducked her head and headed for the sink to wash her hands.

She could feel his red eyes bearing down on her back, the chill of his gaze prickling her fur. "You were with Mandarin, weren't you?" he suddenly asked. Celty froze, her hand pausing in mid-reach for the cabinet door. How had he known? She'd been so careful! "Don't be so surprised. I can smell his scent on you. Did he hurt you?" She shook her head, never turning to face him. "What were you doing down there?"

"Talking," she replied quietly. "He's lonely in that cell, so I went to give him some company."

He growled softly, making the female jump. "He can die for all I care." he said, "Stay away from him."

Celty felt something within her chest crack at his words. To hear him say something so heartless in such a cold voice made her heart ache. She didn't want to believe that he could be so cruel, and yet she knew he'd meant every word. Before she could swallow back the words building in her throat, she spoke. "I don't want you going anywhere near Mandarin right now." she said softly.

"Are you ordering me around now?" he asked, a hint of teasing in his tone.

The female set the sandwhich she'd made down, still keeping her back to the male. "In a way, yes, I am." she replied, and set an apple on the plate beside the sandwhich. "You're letting your hatred cloud your mind, you're not seeing the present through the past."

Fang rumbled, his tail twitching. "My mind isn't 'clouded' by anything." he growled warningly.

A quiet sigh escaped her. "Fang, he beat you. You ARE angry, you DO hate him. I'd honestly be worried if you didn't feel that way." said Celty, "But killing him is wrong. Killing him doesn't make you as bad as him, Fang, it makes you worse. It makes you worse because you had the choice to to be the bigger person, and you chose the low road anyway."

"If you'd be worried about me not hating him," he said, "Then I should concerned that you want to help him. He wasn't trying to kill me in those fights, just beat me till I bled."

"Gibson said he wasn't trying to kill me." she replied, "The strike was too precise to have been an accident, and I believe that. Just before you attacked him, he told me he wasn't allowed to kill me. Skeleton King wanted me alive." A shudder rolled through her. She'd yet to see Skeleton King, lord of the dead, but she prayed she never would. His presence within the bone palace alone had been enough to send icy claws down her spine.

A hand suddenly touched her shoulder. Despite her desire to allow the contact to comfort her, she jerked away from Fang. "Don't touch me," she said softly. The female wrapped her tail around her body as she hugged herself. "You have the choice of offering three things-your hand, your back, or your fist. I've offered you both my hand, he hasn't decided yet what he wants to do. But what have you given me? Because it certainly doesn't feel like a hand."

Without another word, she collected Mandarin's lunch, and brushed passed him as she left the room. Fang snarled, and slammed his fist down on the counter. Ever since that night when he'd made an attempt to kill the orange simian, the white female had put a set distance between them.

He wasn't allowed to touch her. She barely spoke to him. They never made eye contact. She'd even stopped sleeping in the bed and had moved back to her pallet on the other side of the room. He didn't like it. In fact, he hated it. He should be allowed to do as he wished with her. Celty was his, after all, she belonged to him. And he wasn't about to let a tiny female think she could boss him around whenever she pleased.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

After delivering Mandarin his lunch, Celty left him to enjoy his meal. She headed to the one place she knew Fang wouldn't show up-Antauri's room. It felt a bit low using the silver simian's presence to keep the black and red male at bay, but she couldn't go anywhere else and not run into Fang. Either way though, she'd never spent so much time with Antauri, and her meditation skills had begun to improve.

She stopped at his door, and waited. There was no need to knock, he already knew she was there. He always seemed to know what she was doing and how she was feeling. The door opened seemingly by itself, inviting her inside. When she entered the room, the white female paused. Nova sat on the floor beside the silver monkey. "Um, am I interupting?" she asked, twiddling her fingers. "I can just come back another time..."

Antauri held up his hand. "No, it's quite alright, Celty. Nova and I were simply talking. Come in and join us." he said. She closed the door and sat down beside the other female. The silver simian folded his arms. "You've seemed rather troubled lately, Celty. Care to explain it?"

The white female looked down nervously, her tail twitching slightly. Nova placed comforting hand on her shoulder. "C'mon Celty," she coaxed, "Whatever you say stays between the three of us. You can trust us."

"I know that, Nova." she replied, "I just...well, I don't know exactly how to explain it is all."

"Explain what?" asked Antauri.

She scratched the back of her neck, searching for the right words. "I think...we had a fight?" she said, "Can you even call it a fight? Or an arguement, maybe? I'm not sure what you'd call it, really."

"A fight?" inquired the sunshine simian. "You mean, you and Fang? What did you fight about?"

Celty's face expression fell, her shoulders slumping. "He doesn't trust me, not the way I thought he did." she answered.

Nova glanced at Antauri, her face a mask of worry. The two knew how sensative the white female was. When she had first come to live with them, Sparx hadn't trusted her. Celty had been shut tighter than a clam whenever he'd been in the same room until they'd broke the ice.

She explained the event in question. The whole time tears began forming in her eyes. "For him not to trust me..." she sniffed, "I don't know why it hurts so much, but it does." The white female wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, sniffling softly. Nova wrapped an arm around her, and let the other female rest her head on her shoulder. "I'm okay, I'm okay." she mumbled.

Antauri placed a hand on her forehead. "No, you're not." he said, "You're blaming yourself, Celty. That is far from being okay."

Celty wiped her eyes as she straightened. "Well, I will be. Sooner or later, I'll be fine." she said, "But that's not all I wanted to talk to you about. I...I want to discuss Mandarin's future. I want him to be released."

Nova gaped at her. "Celty!" she exclaimed, "I can understand that you think that there's some good left in him. But how can you want to let him go?"

"I didn't say 'let him go'. I said 'I want him to be released'." she explained. "I agree he doesn't need to be let completely off the hook. That wouldn't do anyone any good. But he needs to get out of that cell-he'll kill himself in there! I didn't correct his inner balance just to see him die before he got a chance to make his life right."

The silver simian raised a brow. The statement catching his attention. "You corrected his inner balance?" he inquired. "How is it possible for someone to correct another's inner balance? All my years of training on Koralodol taught me that it is nearly impossible for one person to re-balance someone else."

Celty folded her arms over her chest, her tail wrapping loosely around her. "I'll admit I'm not exactly sure how I did it, but I know what I did. The Mandarin in that cell isn't the same one who attacked me." she replied, "Punishing him for the rest of his life for something that he had no control over would be the same thing as if you punished Gibson for catching Skeleton King's virus and trying to destory you. Or Sparx for when he touched the Fire of Hate and nearly pulled Nova apart and brought Skeleton King back from the grave. It isn't right!"

"How did you know about that?" asked Nova.

"...Otto and I talk." she muttered, "He tells me a lot about your adventures." The female sighed softly, her eyes downcast. "Even from the beginning, Mandarin was unbalanced. He had too much light, and was drawn to darkness in an attempt to correct the imbalance. That's why he touched that portal to the Dark Ones, and then he was drowned in darkness and evil. He lost himself, but he tried to fight it. Mandarin managed to safe his true self using the Power Primate-that's the Mandarin in that cell. Not that evil creature the Dark Ones and Skeleton King made. He's the REAL Mandarin, Antauri."

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

The red pencil glided across the paper, bring life to the subject it colored. A quiet sigh escaped the white female as she sat at her desk. Coloring Fang's picture wasn't helping her mood. If anything, it was making her feel worse. She swapped the red pencil for the coal-black and began working on his fur. She rested her chin on her free hand, thinking of how much she'd begun to miss that fur in real life. A little over a week, and already she was daydreaming about touching it again.

'Oh God, I'm losing it.' she scolded herself, 'Why do I even care? It's not like I don't have my own fur.' Her eyes fell to the paper, Fang's freshly colored eyes stared straight back. 'But it's not about the fur, is it Celty? You miss Fang. You miss being able to simply talk to him, to look at him without feeling betrayed.' She set her pencil down and picked up the drawing. "It's like you're not even here." she whispered.

"It would be, if you stopped ignoring me."

Celty nearly jumped out of her skin. She cast a brief glance at the door, and there he was, as if summoned by her thoughts. Fang leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. She quickly turned back to her art, her heart thumping behind her ribs. "I'm kinda in the middle of something," she mumbled, "Can't this wait?"

His growl right beside her ear nearly gave her a panic attack, and prickled her fur. The way he did that was beginning to scare her. She moved to get up, only to have her shoulders clamped against the back of the chair by his strong hands. The white female froze, her trembling hands tightly grasping the bottom of the chair. Whether she ever wanted to admit it or not, Celty was afraid of Fang's temper, and right now, her heart was pounding.

The male spun the chair around and pushed it back so the front legs were off the floor and the chair was supported by the desk. He braced his arms on the back of the chair, his teeth bared in anger. As Celty shrank back against the chair, she realized something was different about Fang's eyes. They weren't round anymore, they had turned into slits and darkened until they were black.

She instinctively brought her arms up between them. Unbeknownst to her, she had just pulled the trigger to a loaded gun. He grabbed a fistful of the pink fur on her chest snatching her out of the chair like a ragdoll, and pinning her up against the wall. "Stop doing that!" he snarled. "I'm sick and tired of you trying to put a wall in front of me. I'm done playing this annoying little block-out game of your's. What is you're deal?"

Celty felt her throat constrict. She'd never seen him this mad before, and being on the receiving end was terrifying. His strength amazed her. He'd lifted her nearly a foot off the floor and held her there like she weighed nothing. But it was the change in his eyes that truly frightened her. She knew that Skeleton King had done unspeakable things to him, but what kind of horror could do that to his eyes?

Seeing the fear in the female's eyes made that odd feeling resurface in his chest, like a cold snake slithering around inside him. He tried to maintain his rage, but it simply melted away. The male slowly set the white simian down, his eyes closed tightly. "Don't give me that look." he said, his voice noticeably calmer. "You know I won't hurt you."

"No, I don't." she replied, her body shaking, her knees threatening to buckle at any moment. "I'm not trustworthy enough to you. Why should I trust anything you say?"

Fang growled softly, keeping his eyes shut. "I DO trust you. It's just that...I've never been touched in a situation where something's not trying to take my head off." he explained "All my existance something has tried to hurt me."

"But I've never tried to hurt you!" she exclaimed, her volume catching him off guard. Tears formed in her eyes, but didn't fall. "What have I ever done to earn any distrust from you? It doesn't matter that everyone else has hurt you-I'm not everyone else! I'm Celty, and I'm your friend...and I want you to be my friend too." Cautiously, while his eyes were still closed, she slipped her arms around him, and buried her muzzle in his fur. "I don't want you to NEED me to be your ally, I want you to WANT me to be your friend. I don't want to fight anymore, Fang."

The male carefully pushed her back against the wall. He tilted her head back to expose her neck, leaned down, and began grooming her throat. The action had been so unexpected, and so completely out of nowhere, that Celty simply froze. He combed through her fur with his sharp teeth, gently scraping her skin with the knife-like tips. The black and red simian took her hands and placed them on his chest, allowing her to curl her fingers in his fur. "I trust you," he murmured against her skin, "I am your friend, and I want you to be mine." He raised his head and opened his eyes, the pupil round and white once more. "Will you be mine, Celty?"

A smile curled her lips. She slowly shifted her arm around him, and stepped forward into him. "See, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" she teased softly, nuzzling his shoulder. She hugged him tighter, relishing in being able to touch that silky fur of his again. "I missed you."

Behind her shoulder, he grinned. "I missed you to, Celty."


	7. Cuts and Confessions

Blood and Magic

By Princess Thil Galel

I DO NOT OWN

Thank you

R&R

Please Enjoy

Cuts and Confessions

The sun rose slowly over the horizon, the landscape still bruised purple by the grip of the fading night was bathed in soft yellow light, healing the discoloration and returning the rainbow of shades to the world. Under it's gaze, the city of Shuggazoom continued to sleep. Even within the Super Robot, the Hyper Force still rested peacefully in there beds.

Only one began to stir. Even without a clock to tell the time, or window to let in the sunshine, the white simian habitually rose with the sun. She always awoke early to begin making breakfast. After all, when one was making food to feed nine, it was good to get a nice head start.

Celty inhaled deeply as she began to awaken, blinking her candy colored eyes slowly in the gloom. Without thinking, she arched her back in a stretch, completely forgetting where she was. After their make-up, Fang had refused to allow her to spend another night on her pallet. The motion pressed her into the contour of her bedmate's body.

At first, she didn't realize what she was doing. She gotten so comfortable with laying beside Fang that she didn't even think about the male right behind her. During the night, Fang had rolled onto his other side and ended up pressed against the female's back. When she moved beside him, he was instantly awakened. A smirk spread across his lips as her arching back pressed into his chest. "You always got to wake up so early?" he murmured, and grinned when she jumped slightly.

"I didn't realize you were awake," she said, turning over onto her front so she could see him. "Did I disturb you?"

He slowly shook his head, his body still heavy from the fog of sleep. "Nah, I'm just a light sleeper. I woke up as soon as you're breathing pattern changed." he replied, watching as her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Really?" she asked curiously. "You can hear the way I breathe?"

With a chuckle, he leaned closer, pressing the side of his muzzle to her antenna. "When we're this close," he whispered quietly, his voice dripping with a mysterious vibe. "I can hear your heart beating."

She choked back a giggle, his breath tickling her fur. "That must be a pain then." she half joked. "I mean here you are, trying to sleep, and I'm lay beside making all this noise. How do you put up with me?"

Fang suddenly sat up and leaned over her, almost as if he were trying to intimidate her, but she simply kept smiling as she turned onto her back, wondering what he was doing. He gazed down at her, finding no trace of fear or nervousness in her eyes, only curiousity. It was refreshing to look into those cany pink depths and not see her scared of him. Taking hold of her chin, he turned her face and stroked his tongue over the scratches on her cheek. He paused briefly, waiting for something. But when all she did was look up at him, head tilted slightly, he asked, "Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

Celty reached up and touched his cheek. "I promise you it doesn't." she replied "It actually feels nice. Why does that seem to surprise you?"

He appeared to cringe slightly at the question, but she couldn't be entirely sure in the semi-dark room. "While it's true that my saliva has healing properties, it's also suppose to sting and burn when it meets open wounds." he said, "Despite that I still used it on you because it kills off anything harmful that would cause infection. I just don't understand why it's not hurting you."

She frowned, puzzled. "Do you...want it to hurt me?" she asked.

The male blinked, taken aback slightly. "No, of course not." replied Fang.

With a smile, Celty reached up and bumped his chin gently with her knuckles. "Then don't worry about it." she giggled. Her wound suddenly decided to make itself known, causing her to tense. "In fact, would you mind too terribly much grooming my side too? It kinda hurts."

In answer to her request, he shifted lower and carefully tugged down her bandages. He sniffed at the injury, searching for any signs of infection, but found none. The male gently brushed his lips against her healing flesh, testing how tender the new skin was. She flinched, her fingers twisting in the blankets as she bit her lip to hold back a whimper. The soothing caress his tongue instantly removed the pinch of discomfort, replacing it with that signature relaxing sensation that swept over her whenever he groomed her wounds.

That was another thing she'd missed during their fight, his grooming. It continually amazed her that despite how powerful he was, he was still so tender with her. She actually thought it was kinda cute how he was always nervous about how he touched her, treating her like delicate glass, worried he'd break her. Even so, that didn't mean he was afraid to show her what he could do. He'd proven that yesterday by snatching her off the floor.

Celty gave a slight stretch, curling her toes and fingers with a soft mewling sound. "Okay, I've gotta get up and moving. If I don't start breakfast now it won't be done in time." she said, then slipped off the bed, her loose bandages pooling at her waist. "Darn bandages..."

Fang quickly stood and grabbed the end of the linen. "Here," he said, unwrapping the bandages. He placed one end on her side and put her hand over it. "Hold that end there." The male lossely looped the rest of the linen around his hand, making sure it was straight. When he didn't move to wrap the bandage around her torso, she looked at him curiously. He gave her a lopsided smirk, revealing his sharp teeth, and twirled his finger in a circle. "Start turning." he coaxed.

She blinked at him, then began to turn on the balls of her feet. Fang slowly fed the linen out, watching the snowy female dance for him with a grin. Celty's cheeks turned pink as she felt his eyes following her every move. She came to a stop as she spun into him, coming to a hault as their chests touched. He caught her with an arm across her lower back, keeping her from backing away. His free arm slid around her with the other end of the bandage, he carefully tucked it under the wraps of linen, his fingers lingering just a moment more than necessary.

There was virtually no space left between them. Celty could feel Fang's cool breath against her lips. Her heart thudding so hard beneath her ribs she swore he could feel it beating against his own chest, and she knew now he could actually hear it as well. All either of them had to do was twitch, and their lips would meet.

Fang noticed it too, and he was curious to see what she would do. For a moment, it seemed that she would close the distancce between them. Her hands came to rest on his chest, her eyes searched his with a deep, thoughtful look as that long tail of her's became perfectly still. Suddenly, she leaned back, pushing away from him slightly. "I really gotta start breakfast." she murmured, taking a half step back. "You gonna sit in the kitchen with me?"

"Always," he replied, letting his arm drop. The male watched her head to the door, and then followed closely behind her.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

"Thanks for the cinnamon buns, Celty." said Otto, his muzzle sprinkled with crumbs and smeared with frosting. "Those were amazing. I've never had homemade ones before."

She giggled, and wiped his face with a wet dish cloth. "You're welcome," she replied. She gathered up the dishes on the table and took them to the sink as everyone stretched and discussed the options of the day. Celty listened quietly as she washed the dishes. Antauri and Chiro were going to patrol together, while Sparx was going out flying. Nova and Otto were going to upgrade the training room, and Gibson was going to rewire the computer in the command center.

Sparx leaned back in his chair, chugging his milk. He finished it with a sigh and licked his lips as he glanced back at the white simian at the sink. "So what're you doing today, Doll Face?" he asked, grinning when she twitched at the sound of her nickname. "You wanna go on that fly around I promised you? I'll show you the sights from a bird's eye view, and maybe give you some flying lessons."

Celty rolled her eyes as she dried off a plate and placed it back in the cabinet. "I think I'll take piloting lessons from a team member who doesn't think he's one of the Blue Angels." she replied, "And either way, I'm going to the grocery store. I need to pick up a few thing for something special tonight."

"You're going alone?" asked Chiro."I don't know if that's such a good idea. The people all know the rest of the money team, but they haven't met you yet. Maybe you should wait and go with someone."

The red pilot raised a hand. "I'll go with her, I can go flying anytime, but escorting Doll Face around the city? That's a once in a lifetime opportunity." he said, and winked at Nova. "And maybe next time, I can take you out shopping." The sunshine female rolled her eyes and gave his shoulder a playful shove. He glanced back to Celty, leaning his chair back, arms crossed behind his head. "So what do you say, Doll Face? You want me to stroll with you through the grocery store?"

"Like hell," Fang responded from his place by the door. All eyes immediately turned on him as he finished the last bite of his raw chicken strip. He ran his tongue over his lips and incisors, cleaning them free of blood smears. "She's not going anywhere alone with you. I'll take her myself."

Sparx snorted. "Oh what? Do you own her now?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Is she only allowed to do what you tell her?"

"I thought I already made that obvious." he said matter-of-factly.

Celty giggled. "Okay, well I guess that solves the problem. I'll go with Fang." she said, "Does anyone need anything else that I should add to my list? I'll be glad to pick it up." They shook their heads, giving her odd looks. Fang had, by extension, said he owned Celty and she hadn't even playfully objected or protested.

The pilot shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine, go with your guard dog." he quipped, "Maybe while you're at the store you could pick him out a collar and matching leash."

A loud snarl erupted from within the black and red male, his lips drawn back to reveal his sharp teeth. Celty was immediately between them, blocking Fang's view of the pilot. She gently pressed her fingertips to the black and red male's lips, causing them to relax and hide his teeth once again. "Sparx didn't mean anything, Fang. He was just picking at you-it's only in fun." she said. The white simian gently, but sternly, turned him around and nudged him towards the door. "We'll leave in a minute, I just have to grab something out of my room. I'll meet you at the hatch, okay?"

With a final glare in Sparx's direction, he left the kitchen. Celty sighed in relief with a hand over her pounding heart. She nearly hadn't been able to catch him in time. The white simian turned to Sparx. "Please, don't do that again." she pleaded. "He takes it seriously, and we still don't know what's gonna set him off."

"Please, like I'm scared of him." Sparx snorted.

A sympathetic look fell over her face. "I'm not saying I want you to be afraid. But you should a healthy respect for his strength." she replied, rubbing her arm. "Don't forget, if I hadn't found him when I did, he might have killed us all. He doesn't know any other way to live. But I'm trying to teach him one, and it would be a lot easier if you'd help by not teasing him. After all, not everyone can have your sense of humor."

As she headed out of the kitchen, Antauri quickly followed and stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Are you certain you wish to do this, Celty?" he asked softly. "Fang clearly still has a high level of aggression and violent tendencies. Do you think it's wise to take him into the city by yourself?"

She smiled suddenly, looking somewhat amused. "Antuari, I'm the Submissive here. That means I'm in control of the situation." she said, and giggled at his confused expression. "The Submissive is only the Submissive if they allow themselves to be. They can stop at any time and become a Dominate. Besides, I've kinda already proven I can handle myself when it comes to Fang-he won't hurt me and I won't let him hurt anyone else."

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

"You should have just let me skin him."

"Fang, we've already gone over this. Skinning people is not okay."

The male growled as he trailed behind the female, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the humans staring at them. He didn't like all the attention they were receiving. Children would point and giggle, held back by their parents when Fang shot them a warning glare. Adults whispered and nodded their direction, making comments that made his fur bristle.

Celty picked up a tomato, testing it's firmness and scent. She frowned slightly, and put it back, exchanging it for another one. She went through several more before she selected a few she found suitable and placing them in her basket. They'd already gone through half the store, and Celty had nearly finished her list, there were just a few things left.

She took a piece of paper out of the small shoulder bag she'd brought and held it out to Fang. "Mind doing me a favor?" she asked as he took it gingerly between his claws. "Go around the corner there to the deli and give that to the worker. They'll give you a package. Can you bring it to me?"

He growled softly, glancing around at the humans surrounding them. Humans could be as dangerous as any of Skeleton King's monsters. "I came here to keep an eye on you," he said, turning his gaze back on her. "And now you want me on the other side of the store?"

The female stared at him for a moment, head tilted. "Well, yeah." she replied, and made a shooing motion with a giggle. "Go get it, silly. You'll only be a few yards away." He frowned unhappily, his tail twitching, but did as she asked. Celty couldn't help smirking. It really was kind of flattering the way he tried to keep her all to himself, a bit charming even. But it was funny whenever she got him to do something he didn't want to.

Celty moved on to the next aisle, shaking her head. "He's probably gonna be grumbling at me for the rest of the day." she mumbled to herself, searching the shelves for the cheese she wanted. She rubbed her temple, feeling a slight ache beginning to form. It wasn't the type of migraine that she'd get when her memories flashed, those came on almost instantly. This one was just an annoyance, most likely from all the noise of the city. She had become so use to the quiet atmosphere of the robot that all the sounds of the crowds had gotten to her.

She reached up, standing on her toes to grab her selected choice. Suddenly, her basket was snatched from her arm. She turned, thinking it might be Fang trying to put the package in the basket. But her eyes didn't meet Fang's face, instead she found two pairs of legs, and looked up. Standing over her were two young boys, probably in their late teens or early twenties. They were complete opposites of each other. One was a tall skinny ginger wearing a brown shirt and wristbands, with an orange belt, tie, and arm wrappings. The other was a slightly shorter, dark-skinned and pugdy, wearing the same clothes, but in the opposite colors. The only things that were the same were their white pants and orange shoes.

The red-head had her basket, while his friend went digging through it. "Hey, Glenny," he said, "Ya' know dis' monkey-bot? Ain't ever seen a white one runnin' 'round with the Monkey Boy."

"Nah, haven't seen it before." said 'Glenny', taking out one of her freshly selected apples and taking a sloppy bite out of, juice dripping onto his bulging stomach. He leaned over her, squinting. "Hey, BT, check it out. I think it's albino! Look at it's pink eyes-they look like that white rat at the pet store!"

'BT' suddenly raised his leg, and roughly tapped her chest with the toe of his shoe, causing Celty to stumble back into the shelf. "Don't be dumb, Stupid. It's got pink on it, albinoes don't got no color." he said. Celty rubbed the offended area, wishing so much that she could tell them to leave her be. But they couldn't understand her simian tongue, so instead she pointed to her basket and held out her hand. The gesture was ignored. The ginger suddenly grabbed her tail and yanked it. A startled yelp escaped her. Her tail was a very sensative, very PERSONAL appendage, ans she did NOT appreciate having it pulled.

Celty instinctively did what any woman would do when they were touched inappropriately, she slapped his hand. He snatched away, cradling his throbbing hand. "Mean little monkey machine." he said, glaring down at her. "I think this one needs to learn a lesson."

A growl from behind startled the two, they whipped around searching for the source. Their eyes wandered upwards, and there, crouched atop a shelf was a snarling Fang. There were traces of blood on his white muzzle and teeth, like he'd just eaten, and that added to the obvious effect of scaring the boys. They stood frozen, wide eyes fixed on the fierce simian baring his teeth in their direction.

The shift in their attention was all Celty needed. She snatched her basket out of the ginger's hand, and brushed past them, never casting them another glance. "C'mon Fang," she said as she walked by the shelf he was perched on, "Time for check-out." The black and red male leaped down behind her, and followed.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, coming up beside her. "I heard him threaten you."

"I'm okay, just a couple of stupid boys trying to figure out where they are in life. Nothing more." she replied, setting her basket up on the counter. The girl smiled at her and began ringing up her things. Celty smiled back, seeing a small bit of random kindness always warmed her heart. Something touched her shoulder, she turned to find Fang holding a paper bag with his tail. "Oh, my package. Thank you...wait, why is it so heavy?"

Fang scratched the back of his head, glancing away. "When I gave the guy that paper, he started going on and on about how the monkeys have helped him and whatnot." he explained, "Then he saw my teeth, and said I must really love my steaks, then he gave me these." He opened the bag, revealing a rack of raw ribs wrapped in plastic with a sticker reading 'On the house'. One of the ribs was missing. Fang shrugged helplessly. "Honestly I don't get it. But there's nothing wrong with them, so I took them."

Celty smirked, and ran a finger across his lips. "So that's where this came from." she teased, showing him the scarlet on the end of her digit. "You got blood on your face."

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

The skillet hissed and sizzled over the stove as strips of chicken landed on the hot metal. Celty added a sprinkle of herbs over the cooking meat before replacing the lid and moving to the cutting board. A long, sharp chief's knife sat on the wooden board beside several tomatoes and onions and cloves of garlic. The white and pink simian casually twirled the knife between her fingers as she set an onion on the board.

She swung the blade down, slicing off the unwanted ends, and began chopping off the rings. The sharp scent of the onion made the female scrunch up her nose and breathe out of her mouth to avoid the worst of the smell. Once the rings had all been cut, she swept them into a bowl to use later. Then, she reached for a tomato. After giving the blade a quick wipe, Celty chopped the tomato in half, and watched the bright red juice drip off the knife as she pulled it out.

The white simian paused, completely transfixed by the gleaming knife in her hand. She wiped the juice off on her fingers, gazing at the droplets as they dripped down to her palm and slid onto her wrist. Her eyes shifted back to the knife, the reflection of her pink eyes stared back at her.

Slowly, Celty pressed the blade of the knife to her wrist. She drew the edge over it, the sound of metal on metal filled the air like a soft whistle. When the tip touched her wrist, she began digging it in.

"Celty?"

A startled gasp escaped her as she spun around, the knife clattering to the floor. Celty found herself face to face with Antauri. "What were you doing?" he asked.

Chest heaving, she glanced over her shoulder, a look of confusion in her eyes. "Cutting veggies..." she answered meekly, her voice unusually quiet.

The silver simian gave the female a hard look. "Cutting the vegetables," he began. He raised a hand, and as if it had a will of it's own, Celty's arm shot out and turned over to expose her wrist. "Or cutting yourself?"

She tried to snatch her arm back, but it wouldn't move. "Antauri," she pleaded, "Please, let go!"

"Not until you tell me why you would do something like this to yourself." he stated. But she only continued to tug at the invisible force trapping her arm, struggling to breathe through the panic rising in her chest. However, he didn't release the female, although his eyes softened. He may want answers, but he didn't want to trigger another of her panic attacks. Slowly, he lessened his hold and watched as she sank to the floor, cradling her wrist as she cried quietly. The silver monkey knelt silently before her, and placed a hand gently on her head. "Celty," he sais softly, "Look at me."

"I can't!" she sobbed, shaking her head. "I'm so ashamed of myself-I didn't even know what I was doing! It's like they weren't even my own hands."

"Celty-"

"What if this is the kind of person I was? What if I'm suicidal? What if-"

Antauri grabbed her chin and tilted her head up to meet her gaze. "It's alright, I believe you." he said gently, "However, this does pose a problem."

"What am I gonna do, Antauri?" she asked, "Please don't tell anyone!"

He hushed her gently as he placed his fingertips over her lips. "I won't tell the others unless absolutely necessary." he promised. "But I think it would be wise that you not be left alone around anything potenially dangerous for a time." She nodded without a word as he helped her to her feet. The silver simian wiped the back of his fingers over her white cheeks, cleaning away the tears. "You should rest for a while," he suggested. "I'll finish up dinner."

"Are you sure?" she asked uncertainly. "I was making chicken..."

He grinned. "I may be a vegetarian by choice, but I'm not squeamish. I shall manage." he replied, and guided her to the door. "Now, go gather your thoughts, and I'll come to you later." Celty thanked him with a smile.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Fang was laying upside-down over the edge of the bed, tossing his baseball up towards the ceiling when Celty came into the room. His eyes flickered in her direction before going back to the descending sphere. Catching it in his hands, he let his arms flop down by either side od his head as she sat on her meditation mat. He arched a brow. "I thought you were making dinner." he stated.

Celty touched the tips of her middle fingers to the pads of her thumbs, then closed her eyes. "I was." she said simply, "Antauri's taking care of it now."

"So...then what are you doing?"

"Clearing my mind, centering myself, calming my body. Things like that."

Fang's brow furrowed, a sense of warriness creeping into him. "I thought you only meditated with Antauri." he said.

"I normally do, yes." she replied, "But I thought this might be a good time to start doing it on my own."

A soft growl rumbled in Fang's throat as he sat up and swung himself off the bed. Down on all fours, he stalked over to her, moving so close to the female that their muzzles were nearly touching. He let out a low growl to get her attention. When her eyes opened, Celty jumped, falling back in surprise. The male moved closer, closing the distance she'd created, his arms braced on either side of her. "Don't try to keep secrets from me, Celty. No matter what it is, I'll eventually find out." he said, then his voice softened. "Tell me what's going on."

She looked away sheepishly, unwilling to even meet his gaze as she nibbled at her lip. Seeing her refusal to answer, Fang pushed up her chin with his nose and began grooming her neck. Instantly, the tension in her body disappeared. Her head tilted back with a quiet sigh as he growled against her skin, the tip of his tail running along the length of her's. He continued to press down on her neck with his muzzle until she was flat on th floor, his tongue lapping over the throbbing pulse in her throat, his sharp teeth combing harmlessly through her white fur.

He moved a little lower, wanting to see if that candy pink splash on her chest tasted as sweet as it looked. The black and red simian pulled back, and began trailing his clawtips through her fur, fluffing it by dragging them against the grain. "Celty," he said, "Tell me."

"I...I don't want you to know." she said, a nervous quiver in her voice.

Fang growled in the back of his throat, her stubbornness frustrating him. A sharp smell suddenly caught his attention. Sniffing, he smelled at her fur, the scent of the herbs she used to cook with clung to her. But that wasn't what he was smelling, it was more acidic and reminded him of something he'd smelled recently. His search lead him away from her fur, and down her arm to her hand.

He inhaled deeply, trying to match the scent with a name. Fang grabbed her forearm and saw the red beginning to dry on her fingers and palm. But his eyes went lower, they came to rest on her wrist, and his grip tightened. "Who did this?" he growled demandingly, his lips drawing back into a snarl. "Who cut you?" An absolute stillness fell over the room. Neither of the monkeys moved.

The only sounds to be heard was that of their mixed breathing. Tears gathered in Celty's eyes as she turned away. "I don't want to talk about it." she whimpered.

"If someone has hurt you the tell me!" he said firmly. "I'll make sure they never touch you again, because I'll beat the-!"

Her hand shot out, and clamped over his mouth. "No one cut me." she admitted, tears falling down her face as she continued to avoid his gaze. "I...cut myself."

Fang removed her hand, his anger replaced by confusion. "Then why wouldn't you tell me?" he asked. "So you accidently scratched yourself-"

"It wasn't an accident." she cut in, her tone slight harsh. "I-I don't...know what happened. My hands just...started moving on their own. I wasn't even thinking-like my mind just when blank, and someone else was controlling me." She pulled her hands free, one coverying her mouth as she attempted to smother the sound of her cries. "I'm scared, Fang." she whispered, her free hand clutching his hand where it still rested on her chest. "I don't know what's going on with me."

The male made a low whine noise, he nudged her cheek with his nose, and licked the salty trails away. He pressed his forehead to her's, nuzzling her as he wrapped his tail around her own, and rumbled low in his belly. The combined actions made a half-hearted giggle bubble up inside her. "You're so silly sometimes, Fang." said Celty, pressing her forehead back against his. "I can't decide if you act more like a dog or a cat than a monkey sometimes."

"I don't act like any of them," he stated, licking the tip of her nose. "I just act like me."

She giggled and rubbed her nose against his, listening to him inhaling deeply. It seemed as if he liked her scent, seeing as he was always breathing it in as much as he could. Whenever she would first walk into a room, he'd sniff the air as she strolled inside. When they sat next to each other, he'd lean in close, and she'd feel his breath on her neck.

Fang sat up and pulled her up with him, tugging her wrist closer. He ran his tongue over her fingers, grimacing slightly at the taste of tomato juice. He licked her fingers clean, playfully nipping at them. Slowly, Fang made his way to her palm, and finally to her wrist. He ran his tongue over the cut, almost as if he wanted to wash it away. When the remaining tomato juice was removed, Fang nuzzled her wrist. "I don't want you to be scared, Celty." he rumbled. "You have the monkey designed to take down the Hyper Force protecting you. There's nothing or no one you should fear, and if something does make you afraid, I'll kill it. Simple as that."

Celty absentmindedly teased the fur on the male's chest and belly. Curling scarlet and ebony locks around her fingers while he rumbled deep in his chest. "Hey Fang?" she asked suddenly, "Why do you always look out for me? Protecting me, and punching Sparx when he flirts with me?"

He chuckled darkly, the sound making her shiver. "I punch him because I know you don't like him calling you 'Doll Face'. Besides, it gives me an excuse to knock the cockiness out of him." he said smirking, then he took her chin and locked gazes with the white simian. "The other reason...is because you're mine In every sense of the word, you belong to me. Just like I belong to you. Not Skeleton King, not the Hyper Force, only you." He leaned forward, pressing his cheek to her's, and growled in her ear. "I'm your's, Celty."

Before Celty could respond the door opened, revealing the red pilot. "Hey Doll Face, Antauri wanted me to get you for dinner." he said. Suddenly he realized the scene before him-the two monkeys sitting close together on the floor, pressed against each other with entangled tails. "Uh, what're you two doing in here?"

Sparx had to duck out of the room to avoid the baseball Fang chunked at him with a viscous snarl.


	8. Release

Blood and Magic

By Princess Thil Galel

I DO NOT OWN

Thank you

R&R

Please Enjoy

Release

He was running.

The night air was cool, the wind teasing at his fur. It called to him, urging him on. The hunt, the promise of the kill. The scent of prey filled his nose as he raced through the back alleys. He paused, clawtips digging into the concrete as he glanced around him. Trash littered the ground, and the reek of garbage was all around him. But there was another scent, one that made his mouth water.

Rats.

He had lived off the vermin for years down in the pits, catching them whenever they wandered into his black and red simian licked his lips, saliva dripping down his chin. He waited silently, remaining perfectly still, hiding for direct sight behind a pile of garbage. Hunger gnawed at his belly as a fat rat darted in his direction. Fang pounced, claws snapping the vermin's neck before it even knew what happened.

Mouth watering, he sank his razor sharp teeth into the rat's thick haunch. Fresh blood flooded his mouth, flowing down his throat. He ripped into the small carcass, swallowing chunks of warm meat whole. He could have easily ate the rat in one bite, but he needed to taste it's flesh first. He shoved the meaty morsel down his throat, and glanced around. One rat wasn't enough.

Unlike the watery tasting rats in the pits, Shuggazoom's rodents had flavor to their flesh. Although, not much. They wouldn't satisfy him for much longer. He'd been sneaking out to feed every night since the fight with Celty had started, and even now that it was settled, the urge to kill prey still roared in his brain. But these street rats weren't enough. He needed more flavor, more meat, more prey.

The rattling of glass bottles and empty tin cans drew his attention. He kept low to the filthy ground, the reek of decay filling his nose as he crept forward. He peered around a trash can, tail twitching in excitement at what he saw. A skinny, dirty, raggedy stray dog. To anyone else, it looked like an ugly mutt to be avoided. On the other hand, Fang drooled at the sight, hungrily licking the rodent blood from his lips. He couldn't wait to sink his teeth into it's scrawny neck, and slice it's jugular with his incisors.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Warm water cascaded down over Celty's coat, slicking her fur against her skin. She couldn't remember how long she'd been sitting in the shower, long enough to shampoo and condition her fur twice and scrub her metal parts clean with a brush until they shined like new. The female sighed, combing her fingers through the fur on her neck. Again she looked down, the scratched metal of her wrist stared back at her.

Because her wrist was metal, it didn't hurt, but it wouldn't heal. She'd have to get Otto to fix it, but she was afraid that he would ask how it happened, and the last thing she wanted was to tell him the truth. The rattle of the curtain made her jump. She tilted her head back, and found Fang's red eyes staring down at her. "How long does it take you to shower?" he asked, "You've been in here for over an hour."

Her arms and legs reflectively covered her body. There was no difference physically from being in or out of the shower, but mentally it felt weird. "Could you please knock next time?" she said, "The first purpose of a shower is to get clean, the second is privacy."

He raised a brow as she rested her chin on her knees. The male climbed into the shower, much to her distress, and sat down beside her under the stream of warm water. Rumbling softly, he began grooming the back of her neck as her cheeks burned red. She curled up tighter, hoping he wouldn't see, and wouldn't stop nibbling her shoulder.

"You were restless last night," he stated, "Another nightmare?"

She nodded slowly. "It keeps coming back, over and over again." she murmured. "But it doesn't feel like a dream...more like a memory." He grunted, showing he was listening. Celty slowly reached over and turned the water off. She pushed herself up onto her feet, grabbing her towel, and began drying herself off.

Fang watched silently, tilting his head curiously. His hand moved as if it had a mind of it's own. It reached up, and brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek. She looked at him, blinking as her cheeks felt warm. He turned his hand over, resting his palm on her cheek, and teased her fur. "It feels softer," he commented, "And I don't smell your scent as much."

"That's the shampoo and conditioner." she replied, wrapping the towel around her shoulders. "It makes my fur soft and shiny, and it's perfumed, so it makes me smell like peaches and cream. Do you like it?"

He glanced past her to the bottles on the hanging shelf under the shower head. Then his gaze returned to her. "I like what it does to your fur," he replied, "But I like your natural scent better."

Celty's cheeks turned pink, she attempted to hide it by drying her face. Fang had a way of getting to her. He could make her blush without even trying, cause her heart to race with just a glance, send chills up her spine with a single touch. She needed to be careful around him, lest she lose herself. The last thing she needed was to develope a crush on someone who didn't return her feelings.

He might say things that were sweet; he owned her, she owned him. But he didn't know about love. He knew possession, and maybe even lust. But love and kindness were things she wanted to teach him. She _wanted_ him to learn love, and she wanted him to return it to her. Yet she was afraid to trust her heart to him-to anyone, and she didn't know why. But still, she wanted to.

She stepped out of the shower, and shook out her fur, then handed the towel to Fang. "Dry off before you get out." she said, and headed out of the bathroom. "I'm going to start breakfast."

Fang looked down at the cloth in his hand. There was still a few things that confused him, and showering was one of them. It was sort of like the way he had always groomed himself, but rather different. He quickly scrubbed his wet fur down, and tossed the towel on the floor as he followed after Celty.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Two simian were already sitting at the table when Celty walked into the kitchen. She paused, briefly confused, but then she smiled. "Mandarin," she greeted, "It's so good to see you joining us at the table."

Antauri and Mandarin smiled at her as she made her way to the sink. It had taken quite a bit of persuasion, but Celty had finally managed to convince the silver simian to let his brother out. "I hope you plan on eating a big plate," she said playfully. "You're still so skinny."

"I am not," he protested, "I'm the perfect weight for my size."

"Darling, you turn sideways and stick out your tongue you'll look like a zipper." The orange simian blinked, and then he and Antauri laughed. Celty giggled, enjoying the sound. This was how brothers were suppose to be, like good friends. She turned on the stove, and opened the fridge."So, do the others know you're out yet?"

Mandarin scratched the back of his head. "No, not yet." he said, "That's why I'm waiting in here with Antauri. Hopefully the others won't be so surprised."

She gave him a bright smile over her shoulder. "Just have faith, Mandarin. Everything'll work out." she said, then looked to Antauri. "Nova and I are going out together today. She said she wanted to take me to the mall. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course," he said, "You two enjoy yourselves, just be careful."

A growl drew their attention to the doorway. Fang glared openly at the orange simian, his fur bristled while his eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you doing out, rat?" he snapped.

Celty sighed softly. "Fang, please be nice." she begged, and decided to quickly change the subject to distract him. "I'm going somewhere with Nova after breakfast. What are you gonna be doing?"

The effect was immediate. His focus switched instantly, and Mandarin became the last thought in his mind. He pinned his gaze on her back as she moved about the kitchen. "I'll be following you." he stated, "What else would I be doing?"

"You're gonna be bored out of your mind." she warned with a giggle. "I mean, it's going to be two girls running around, possibly looking at clothes, jewelry, and sampling perfume. Trust me, ten minutes and you'll want to scratch your eyes out and run for the hills."

"And the last time I listened to you and left you alone, you got stabbed." he said, growled towards the orange simian.

Celty rubbed her temple, feeling a headache starting to form. "Fang..." she sighed, "Alright, I'll tell Nova you'll be joining us."

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

Nova glanced back over her shoulder. He was still following them. "So much for girls day out." she grumbled, and looked to the white simian beside her. "Why'd ya' have to bring him again?"

"Sorry, Nova. But he's just so convinced that I'll get into horrible trouble if he takes his eyes off me." she said, "Besides, at least this way I won't be leaving him alone with Mandarin. Who know what kind of trouble those two would get if we left them alone."

The sunshine female sighed. She'd been hoping to get Celty alone for a little one on one girl friend time. The two hadn't had any time together to just be girls since Fang had shown up. Nova didn't really mind the black and red male, but Celty was her friend too. She wanted to spend time with her, just the two of them.

They walked past several stores, looking at the clothes in the windows. Nova wasn't very into clothes, but that didn't mean she couldn't look around once in a while. They walked down the mall strip, stopping at the booths set up outside to sample the wares as they went.

As they headed towards the food court, Celty suddenly stopped in front of one of the stores. Nova paused, and saw her staring in the window. She went back to see what had caught her friend's attention. Fang came up behind them, looking over their shoulders.

Grand Music's Shop.

Celty's eyes sparkled as she spotted something inside. "Come on!" she said excitedly, "Let's go inside!" The white simian grabbed Nova's hand, and dragged her into the store. Fang followed just behind, curious to see what had captured the female's interest so strongly. The yellow female was pulled through rows of musical instruments, being lead towards the center to the shop. Celty looked around, she'd seen _it_ from the window, now she just had to find it.

The display stands can to an end, and the room opened up. The center of the store was an open circle, making it easy to get to any part of the store quickly. It was designed for flow, and to display a beautiful treasure. A gorgeous, midnight black grand pianoforte.

Celty released Nova's hand as she stepped closer to the instrument. She tenderly brushed her fingertips over the polished painted wood. She trailed her fingers across the surface as she stepped around to the front of the piano. The ivory and ebony keys gleamed under the overhead lights, the stark contrast of white and black shining with simplistic beauty.

A chill ran up her spine as she tapped a key, the note ringing through her body as if she were a hollow bell, resonating the sound. She climbed up onto the bench, placing her fingers over the keys as her tail went down to the pedals. Her fingers curled, as if she were cupping apples, setting them in perfect position. She touched one key, closing her eyes as she listened to the note, then tapped another, and another. A melody formed in her mind, silently playing in her ears.

Her hands moved by themselves, guided by a forgotten memory. Slowly, a song arose from the black and white keys. There were no words, none were needed. The music alone spoke for itself. Sound woven with emotions flowed from under Celty's fingers, a tale of loss and sorrow. It echoed through the shop, glided out into the strip, and called to every heart it touched. Celty's eyes slid shut as she played, letting herself be moved by the melody.

Nova pressed her hands to her chest, her eyes watching Celty, but not seeing her. She was transported backwards in time, to a moment when things had been so much simpler in her team, her family. Mandarin had just pulled her away from slapping Sparx for pulling her tail. He'd talked calmly to her, telling her that Sparx was only picking on her because she was beautiful and he simply couldn't tell her with his mouth, so he tried to do it by teasing. She'd felt a little better, but had still been grumpy. But Mandarin had quickly taken care of that. He'd tackled her to the ground, pinning her arms behind her back, and tickled her until she had tears in her eyes from laughing too hard.

The song reminded her of how much she had missed him after he'd been banished, and even more so when he'd gone to Skeleton King. He'd always been there for her, until he wasn't. Mandarin had started changing into the monster he'd become piece by piece. An uncalled for shout here, a violent outburst there. She'd seen the signs, and ignored them. Even when he'd outright told her he wished to one day unite all of Shuggazoom under his rule, she hadn't said a word. She'd carried the guilt around for years, feeling that if she had simply told someone, she might have saved her big brother.

Fang watched the white simian rock and sway on the bench, gazing at her with curious eyes. The sounds she called forth from the instrument were foreign and strange to him, and they made something inside him do a funny flip-flop. He felt the urge to touch her, to feel her soft fur sliding through his fingers, the warm caress of her breath on his skin, the closeness of her body leaning against him. The black and red male didn't know exactly why he felt the need for those things, but his body wanted so bad to move towards her.

Finally, he couldn't resist. He brushed past the seemingly dazed yellow simian, and stood behind the white female. Fang leaned on the bench, watching her fingers glide across the keys. He tilted his head slightly, puzzled by how simple rectangular pieces of wood could produce such odd sounds. Slowly, he reached out, and tapped a key with his claw.

The out of place sound startled Celty, awakening her from her trance-like state. She blinked several times, pulling her hands away from the instrument. The white simian looked down at the keys, and then at Fang. Nova came up on her other side, smiling brightly. "Wow, Celty, I didn't know you played piano." she said, "That was beautiful!"

"I didn't really know I could either." she admitted, resting her hands on her lap. "But it felt familar, and the music just came to me," she then glanced at Fang with a playful glare, "Until someone interrupted the song." The male shrugged, seemingly unfazed. Celty rolled her eyes with a smile, turned on the bench, and hopped off.

The three headed out of the store, the females walking side by side, while the male trailed just behind them. "You know what? Maybe the next time we all come out here, we could come back and you could play for everyone!" suggested Nova, "And maybe playing the piano will help your memories come back."

Celty giggled. "Maybe, you ne-"

A loud thunderous crash shook the ground beneath their feet. Celty gasped as she nearly pitched forward. Down the street, barely three blocks away, an entire building collapsed. A giant shadow fell over the citizens and the three monkeys. The shadow belonged to a towering creature, something that Celty could only describe as a monster. It's body was nothing but a skeleton, and it appeared to be some sort animal. It's jagged teeth stuck almost straight out, and a set of curled ram-like horn crowned it's wide skull.

It turned it's massive head towards them, blazing green orbs served as eyes in the otherwise empty sockets. Celty instinctively took a step back. "N-Nova," she stammered, "What is that thing?"

"Big trouble, with a capital 'T'."

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

An alarm blared within the robot. Gibson rush to the control panel, bringing a visual on the screen. "The city's under attack!" he announced, "The creature is destroying the downtown section."

"That's where Nova and Celty were headed!" exclaimed Chiro, "Monkeys mobilize!"

"But what about Nova?" asked Otto, "We can't activate the Super Robot without her!"

Mandarin glanced at the screen, watching as more buildings fell. People ran for their lives, screaming in terror. A fire burned in his chest. Those people were under HIS protection. How dare that thing attack them! "I'll pilot the Foot Cruiser." he announce, "There's no time to wait for Nova. That thing could wreck half the city by then!"

The team turned to Chiro, the choice ultimately being his. Did they trust him and act now? Or not trust him and wait for Nova? The boy looked to the monitor, seeing the monster crashing through the city. Then, he looked to Mandarin. The orange simian's eyes burned with a righteous fury, and yet a hint of uncertainty.

He wanted to help them, that much Chiro could see. "There's no time to waste, Mandarin'll pilot the Foot Cruiser." he decided, "Now, let's hurry!"

The team ran to the tubes, each monkey headed into their own. But before Mandarin could climb into the yellow tube, Chiro rested a hand on the orange simian's shoulder. The monkey turned to the human, eager to get going. The boy's blue eyes stared straight into Mandarin's, a power of leadership beyond his years met the orange simian's gaze. "I'm trusting you, Mandarin." he said, "Don't let me down."

"I assure you, there is nothing to fear." he replied, "The things I have done, they are nothing more than bad memories, and reminders of why I must stay on the righteous path. Now, let's save our city."

Chiro smirked, and nodded. They ran into the remaining tubes, and were transported to their cockpits. Mandarin landed in the sunshine cockpit, the automatic seatbelt latching around his waist. It was more than a little snug, clearly his sister was of a much slender figure, but there was no time to worry about his own comfort. He leaned back, letting the connector insert itself into the back of his helmet. The team sounded off, and the robot jumped into action.


End file.
